Public holidays in Ireland

Employees are, in certain circumstances, entitled to time off work or to be paid for public holidays specified in the Organisation of Working Time legislation.

The public holidays in Ireland are set out in the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (as amended).

Nine Public Holidays in Ireland

The following nine days have been set as public holidays:

Christmas Day,
St. Stephen's Day,
St. Patrick's Day,
Easter Monday,
the first Monday in May,
the first Monday in June
the first Monday in August,
the last Monday in October, and
the 1st day of January,

The employer determines the public holiday benefit

The employer decides what benefit an employee will receive for the public holiday.

The options are:

(a) a paid day off on the day,

(b) a paid day off within a month of the public holiday,

(d) an additional day's pay.

Entitlement to Public Holidays

Full time workers get entitlements to public holidays.

Workers who work less that "whole time" only get the entitlement to a public holiday if he or she has worked for the employer at least 40 hours during the period of 5 weeks ending on the day before the public holiday.

Some absent employees do not get an entitlement to public holidays.

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Disclaimer

The material in this article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or taxation advice. Specific legal and taxation advice should be sought before acting. All information and taxation rules are subject to change without notice.

No liability whatsoever is accepted by M. McLoughlin & Co. for any action taken in reliance on the information in this article