Good Friday & Public Holiday

As an employer, you have probably been asked several times if Good Friday is an entitled day off for your employees. The answer in most cases is no.  The Republic of Ireland has 9 public holidays each year. Public holidays are sometimes referred to as bank holidays but the terminology is confusing.  Bank holidays are where banks and schools close for the day. Public holidays on the other hand are as follows:

• New Year’s Day (1 January)
• St. Patrick’s Day (17 March)
• Easter Monday
• First Monday in May, June, August
• Last Monday in October
• Christmas Day (25 December)
• St. Stephen’s Day (26 December)

As you can see, Good Friday is not a considered a public holiday and as an employer, you have no obligation to provide this day off to your employees.