Bank Holidays Ireland In 2023: Everything You Need To Know

There are 10 Bank Holidays in Ireland in 2023.

Which gives you plenty of time to play with if you’re planning a trip at home or abroad.

Below, you’ll find a list of the different public holidays in Ireland along with some key changes taking place this year.

Some quick need-to-knows about Bank Holidays in Ireland in 2023

Photos via Shutterstock

The points below will get you up-to-speed on the public holidays in Ireland in 2023, quickly. You’ll find a list with the dates then right after:

1. There’s 10

In the past there were 9 annual bank holidays in Ireland, but from 2022 onwards there were 10. From 2023, a new annual public holiday will take place, marking St Brigid’s Day. It will be the first Monday in February, except when St Brigid’s Day falls on a Friday. In that case, the bank holiday will be on that Friday.

2. They tend to mark a notable day/event

Public holidays in Ireland commemorate a special event or day such as Christmas Day or St Patrick’s Day. Most public businesses (such as banks, government offices and schools) are closed. If a bank holiday falls on a weekend, the bank holiday is on the following Monday.

3. There’s a new one in 2023 to mark St Brigid’s Day

From 2023, the new bank holiday will mark St Brigid’s Day and will be held on the first Monday in February (or on the Friday if the 1st February falls on a Friday). 

4. The confusion around Good Friday

Good Friday is NOT a public holiday, although many schools and businesses close on that day. However, the following Monday (Easter Monday) is a bank holiday. There is no automatic entitlement to take time off that day, but many workers take it as part of their annual leave to make it an extra long weekend break over Easter.

A list of the public holidays in Ireland in 2023

Photos via Shutterstock

Now that we have the need-to-knows out of the way, here is a full list of the public holidays in Ireland in 2023:

• 1st January 2023 (New Year’s Day)
• 6th February 2023 (St Brigid’s Day*)
• 17th March 2023 (Saint Patrick’s Day)
• 10th April 2023 (Easter Monday**)
• 1st May (May Day)
• 5th June (June Holiday)
• 7th August (August Holiday)
• 30th October (October Holiday)
• 25th December Christmas Day)
• 26th December (Saint Stephen’s Day)

* new from 2023

** Easter is the only bank holiday that moves significantly from year to year

FAQs about Irish bank holidays

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from ‘When are the school public holidays in Ireland in 2023?’ to ‘Do employers have to give you them off?’.

In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.

Keith O'Hara

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