Following the recent report that the Government is considering the introduction of a new bank holiday this year, the Irish working calendar could be about to change.
At present, nothing official has been confirmed but the proposed new bank holiday is seen as a recognition and reward of the sacrifices the Irish people mad in 2020.
December 21 has been tipped as the day that marks the new bank holiday but again, nothing has been confirmed.
At present, the classic nine public holidays are still prevalent throughout 2020 with most businesses and schools closing.
If you're looking to book some time off, the following information should come in handy for those that want to stretch out their weekend a little longer.
As stated by Citizens Information, the bank holidays in 2021 are as follows:
- New Year's Day (1 January)
- Saint Patrick's Day (17 March)
- Easter Monday (April 5)
- First Monday in May (May 3)
- First Monday in June (June 7)
- First Monday in August (August 2)
- Last Monday in October (October 25)
- Christmas Day (25 December)
- Saint Stephen's Day (26 December)
As is the norm, Easter Monday is the only public holiday that can vary significantly from year to year because the date of Easter moves every year.
Broadly speaking, Easter should be the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after 21 March. This means that the earliest possible date for Easter Sunday in any year is 22 March, the latest is 25 April. Easter Monday falls on 5 April in 2021.
It's worth reiterating that Good Friday is not a public holiday. While some schools and businesses close on that day, you have no automatic entitlement to time off work on that day.
However, here's hoping the Government decide to give us all an extra Bank Holiday. After all that 2020 had to offer, we definitely deserve it.
