Public Holidays in Ireland 2026: Employer Guide to Pay and Entitlements
There is a public holiday on Monday 26 October 2026, which for many Irish employers means a rota to cover and pay to get right. Public holiday rules look easy and cause more payroll-adjacent questions than almost anything else: what does the part-timer get, what if the holiday falls on someone's day off, and what is owed if staff work?
Here is a plain-English guide to the rules, the 2026 dates and the records worth keeping.
Public holidays in Ireland, 2026
According to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), the 2026 public holidays are:
DateHoliday1 JanuaryNew Year's Day2 FebruarySt Brigid's Day (first Monday in February)17 MarchSt Patrick's Day6 AprilEaster Monday4 MayMay Bank Holiday (first Monday in May)1 JuneJune Bank Holiday (first Monday in June)3 AugustAugust Bank Holiday (first Monday in August)26 OctoberOctober Bank Holiday (last Monday in October)25 DecemberChristmas Day26 DecemberSt Stephen's Day
Good Friday is not a public holiday. It's a normal working day unless your contract says otherwise.
What are employees entitled to?
For each public holiday, the employer chooses which of four benefits the employee receives:
- A paid day off on the public holiday
- A paid day off within a month of the holiday
- An additional day of annual leave
- An additional day's pay
Who qualifies?
- Full-time employees are entitled immediately.
- Part-time employees qualify once they have worked at least 40 hours in the five weeks before the public holiday.
What if the business is closed?
An employee who would normally have worked gets their normal day's pay.
What if the business is open and the employee works?
The employee is paid for the day at their agreed rates and receives the public holiday benefit (paid time off or an additional day's pay), based on what was paid for their last normal day's hours before the holiday. Pay for working the day itself is separate from the benefit.
What if the holiday falls on a day off?
Entitlement still applies, and the employer can use options 2, 3 or 4 above. There is no legal entitlement to have the next working day off.
Someone who isn't normally rostered that day
An employee who doesn't normally work that day of the week receives one-fifth of their normal weekly wage as the benefit.
Employees who leave around a public holiday
An employee who leaves in the week ending the day before a public holiday, having worked in the four weeks before that week, is still entitled to pay for that holiday. Public holidays that fall within the first 13 weeks of a temporary lay-off also carry the benefit.
A worked example
Orla works 16 hours a week in a café across three shifts: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Monday 26 October the café is open and Orla isn't rostered. She worked well over 40 hours in the previous five weeks, so she qualifies. Because Monday isn't a day she normally works, the benefit is calculated as one-fifth of her normal weekly wage, and the employer decides whether to give it as a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave or an extra day's pay. If Orla had worked that Monday, she'd be paid for the day and still receive the benefit.
What makes this hard in practice
- Part-time eligibility tests (40 hours in five weeks) require you to know hours worked, not just contracted hours.
- Different benefits for different people need a clear, consistent policy, or you'll be asked why one person got a day off and another got pay.
- Rotas and coverage must be planned before the day, not after.
- Records. Time and attendance records are part of working-time records, which must be kept for three years.
Checklist for every public holiday
- Holiday benefit policy written down (which option, for whom)
- Part-time eligibility checked against hours worked
- Rota published, with who works and who is off
- Pay or time-off benefit recorded per employee
- Time records saved for three years
How CloudHR helps
CloudHR's calendar and Time Off module shows who is off, who is working and what everyone's balance is, so public holiday cover is visible before the day. Rotas can be built with conflict detection and published to staff with push notifications through the mobile app, and attendance records keep a dated trail for each shift worked. Flat €599 a month for up to 250 employees, 30-day free trial, no credit card.
FAQ
What is the next public holiday in Ireland? Monday 26 October 2026, the October Bank Holiday. After that, 25 and 26 December.
Is Good Friday a public holiday in Ireland? No. It's a normal working day unless your contract says otherwise.
Do part-time workers get public holidays? Yes, once they have worked at least 40 hours in the five weeks before the holiday.
What must I pay an employee who works on a public holiday? Pay for the day at the agreed rate plus the public holiday benefit: a paid day off or an additional day's pay.
Does a public holiday on someone's day off give them the next day off? No. There's no legal right to the next working day, but the employer must still give one of the other benefits.
Can the employer choose which benefit to give? Yes. The employer chooses between a paid day off on the day, a paid day off within a month, an additional day of annual leave or an additional day's pay.
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Check the current position with the WRC or an employment law professional.
Sources
- Workplace Relations Commission, public holidays: https://www.workplacerelations.ie/en/what_you_should_know/public-holidays
- Organisation of Working Time Act 1997: https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1997/act/20/enacted/en/html