How Many Bank Holiday in 2024? Ireland & UK
If you’ve ever tried to plan a long weekend and ended up confused about which days count as official holidays, you’re not alone. The number of bank holidays in 2024 depends entirely on where you live, with Ireland now at 10 while England and Wales stay at 8.
Confirmed bank holidays in Ireland 2024: 10 ·
UK bank holidays in 2024 (England and Wales): 8 ·
First Irish bank holiday 2024: 1 January (New Year’s Day) ·
Last Irish bank holiday 2024: 26 December (St. Stephen’s Day)
| Ireland 2024 total | 10 |
| UK (England & Wales) 2024 total | 8 |
| Scotland 2024 total | 9 |
| Northern Ireland 2024 total | 10 |
| First bank holiday (Ireland) 2024 | 1 January |
| Last bank holiday (Ireland) 2024 | 26 December |
Quick snapshot
- Ireland has 10 bank holidays in 2024 (Personio (HR and compliance data))
- UK (England & Wales) has 8 bank holidays in 2024 (Gov.uk (official UK government list))
- Scotland has 9 bank holidays in 2024 (Gov.uk (official UK government list))
- Northern Ireland has 10 bank holidays in 2024 (Gov.uk (official UK government list))
- Whether 2025 will have the same count for all UK nations (subject to future legislation)
- Exact date for the new February bank holiday in Ireland beyond 2024 (confirmed for 2024 and 2025)
- Ireland gained a 10th public holiday in 2023 with the permanent addition of St Brigid’s Day (first Monday in February)
- This permanently shifted Ireland’s count above England and Wales, which have remained at 8 for decades
- Ireland’s 2025 holidays will again include the February bank holiday, maintaining the count of 10
- UK nations show no immediate legislative move to increase their bank holiday counts
How many bank holidays are there in Ireland in 2024?
Ireland has exactly 10 public holidays in 2024, confirmed by Citizens Information (Ireland’s official public service information site). The country added a 10th permanent holiday in 2023 — St Brigid’s Day (first Monday in February) — meaning every year from 2024 onward will have 10 unless future legislation changes things.
List of 10 Irish bank holidays 2024
- 1 January — New Year’s Day
- 5 February — St Brigid’s Day (February bank holiday)
- 18 March — St Patrick’s Day (observed on Monday as 17 March falls on a Sunday)
- 1 April — Easter Monday
- 6 May — May Day (early May bank holiday)
- 3 June — June bank holiday
- 5 August — August bank holiday
- 28 October — October bank holiday
- 25 December — Christmas Day
- 26 December — St Stephen’s Day
All dates verified against Personio’s HR compliance data for Ireland and cross-checked with Money Guide Ireland (Irish personal finance resource).
Good Friday is not a bank holiday in Ireland, despite many businesses closing. The official public holiday list excludes it. Anyone planning to take Good Friday off in Ireland needs to check with their employer, as it’s not an automatic entitlement.
The pattern: Ireland’s 10 holidays are spread across every month from January to December, with no extended summer gap. The concentration in spring (February through June has 5 holidays) means Irish workers get a natural rhythm of short weeks early in the year.
How many bank holidays did we have in 2024?
The answer depends entirely on which UK nation you’re asking. Gov.uk (official UK government list) publishes separate calendars for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The counts differ because of historical holidays unique to each region.
UK bank holidays 2024 (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland)
| Date | Event | England & Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year’s Day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 January | 2 January (Scotland only) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| 18 March | St Patrick’s Day (observed) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| 29 March | Good Friday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 1 April | Easter Monday | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| 6 May | Early May bank holiday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 27 May | Spring bank holiday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 12 July | Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| 5 August | Summer bank holiday (Scotland) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| 26 August | Summer bank holiday (England, Wales, NI) | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 26 December | Boxing Day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Source: Gov.uk official list (first occurrence cited above).
Comparison of 2024 vs 2023 bank holiday counts
The big change between 2023 and 2024 is not in the UK — England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have identical counts both years (8, 9, and 10 respectively). For Ireland, 2024 is the same as 2023: both years have 10 holidays following the permanent St Brigid’s Day introduction in 2023.
The implication: if you’re planning 2024 trips or time off, don’t assume a single UK-wide calendar exists. Each nation has its own pattern, and Ireland now leads the pack with 10.
How many bank holidays are there from April 2024 to March 2025?
This 12-month window is useful for anyone planning a year’s leave starting from April. The count matches the full January to December total for each jurisdiction, because neither Ireland nor the UK has any holidays that fall outside the fast-decaying time window.
Bank holidays from April 2024 to March 2025 in Ireland
Ireland has 10 bank holidays in this period, identical to the calendar year count because the April start picks up Easter Monday (1 April 2024) and runs through St Patrick’s Day (17 March 2025) — which falls in this window. The list:
- 1 April 2024 — Easter Monday
- 6 May 2024 — May Bank Holiday
- 3 June 2024 — June Bank Holiday
- 5 August 2024 — August Bank Holiday
- 28 October 2024 — October Bank Holiday
- 25 December 2024 — Christmas Day
- 26 December 2024 — St Stephen’s Day
- 3 February 2025 — St Brigid’s Day (February Bank Holiday)
- 17 March 2025 — St Patrick’s Day
- 21 April 2025 — Easter Monday
Bank holidays from April 2024 to March 2025 in the UK
For England and Wales, the April 2024 to March 2025 window includes 8 bank holidays. Scotland gets 9 and Northern Ireland 10, matching their standard counts.
Why this matters: For anyone starting a new job or planning annual leave requests, the April-to-March window is often the most practical calendar. Ireland’s 10 holidays mean fewer vacation days needed for a full year off; England and Wales require more annual leave to cover the same number of extended weekends.
Why is 27 October a bank holiday?
A quick correction: 27 October 2024 is not a bank holiday in Ireland. The October bank holiday falls on 28 October 2024, which is the last Monday of the month.
Citizens Information (Ireland’s official public service information site) confirms the October bank holiday is always the last Monday of October. In 2024, that means 28 October, not 27 October.
Significance of the October bank holiday in Ireland
The October bank holiday marks the end of summer time (clocks go back the previous weekend) and is widely used for mid-term breaks in schools. It’s one of Ireland’s newer holidays — added in 1977 as an extra day off between the August bank holiday and Christmas.
The pattern: Ireland’s October holiday fills a gap that England and Wales leave empty. While the UK has no bank holiday between August and Christmas, Ireland puts one in late October, breaking up the autumn term.
Ireland’s 10 holidays mean more single-day breaks, but they’re clustered in spring and early summer. The gap between June and October is four months — exactly the same pattern the UK faces between August and Christmas. Having more holidays doesn’t always mean a more even spread.
How many paid holidays are there in a year in Ireland?
This is a common source of confusion. “Bank holidays” and “public holidays” are used interchangeably in everyday speech, but employees in Ireland are entitled to paid time off on public holidays as a legal right. The number of paid public holidays in Ireland is 10 — the same 10 dates listed above.
Difference between public holidays and annual leave
Public holidays are separate from annual leave. Employees in Ireland are entitled to:
- 10 public holidays per year (or paid compensation if required to work on them)
- 4 weeks of annual leave per year (statutory minimum, per the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997)
Source: Citizens Information (first cited above).
Employee entitlement to paid public holidays
Not every worker automatically gets every public holiday off. Under Irish law, an employee qualifies for paid public holidays if they have worked for their employer for at least 40 hours in the 5 weeks before the holiday. Part-time workers who meet that threshold get the same entitlements pro-rata.
If an employee works on a public holiday, they’re entitled to either:
- A paid day off within a month
- An additional day of annual leave
- Additional pay (typically double time)
The pattern: Ireland’s 10 public holidays are a floor, not a ceiling. Many employers offer more, but the legal minimum is 10 paid days plus 20 days of annual leave — giving most Irish workers a minimum of 30 paid days off per year.
Which day is bank holiday in 2024?
Here’s the full, day-by-day calendar for 2024, split by jurisdiction.
Complete calendar of bank holidays 2024 for Ireland
10 dates, all confirmed by Personio HR data and cross-referenced with official sources.
- 1 January 2024 (Monday) — New Year’s Day
- 5 February 2024 (Monday) — St Brigid’s Day
- 18 March 2024 (Monday) — St Patrick’s Day (observed)
- 1 April 2024 (Monday) — Easter Monday
- 6 May 2024 (Monday) — May Day
- 3 June 2024 (Monday) — June Bank Holiday
- 5 August 2024 (Monday) — August Bank Holiday
- 28 October 2024 (Monday) — October Bank Holiday
- 25 December 2024 (Wednesday) — Christmas Day
- 26 December 2024 (Thursday) — St Stephen’s Day
Complete calendar of bank holidays 2024 for the UK
England and Wales (8):
- 1 January 2024 (Monday) — New Year’s Day
- 29 March 2024 (Friday) — Good Friday
- 1 April 2024 (Monday) — Easter Monday
- 6 May 2024 (Monday) — Early May Bank Holiday
- 27 May 2024 (Monday) — Spring Bank Holiday
- 26 August 2024 (Monday) — Summer Bank Holiday
- 25 December 2024 (Wednesday) — Christmas Day
- 26 December 2024 (Thursday) — Boxing Day
Scotland (9): Same as England and Wales, plus 2 January and the summer bank holiday falls on 5 August instead of 26 August.
Northern Ireland (10): Same as England and Wales, plus St Patrick’s Day (18 March) and Battle of the Boyne (12 July).
Source: Gov.uk official list (first cited above).
Why are there 10 bank holidays in 2026?
Ahead of the curve: 2026 will also have 10 bank holidays in Ireland, assuming no further legislative changes. The count has been permanent since the St Brigid’s Day addition in 2023.
Projected bank holidays for Ireland in 2026
Based on the recurring pattern (last Monday in February, 17 March, Easter Monday, first Monday in May, first Monday in June, first Monday in August, last Monday in October, 25 and 26 December), the 2026 dates will be:
- 1 January 2026 — New Year’s Day
- 2 February 2026 — St Brigid’s Day (February Bank Holiday)
- 17 March 2026 — St Patrick’s Day
- 6 April 2026 — Easter Monday
- 4 May 2026 — May Bank Holiday
- 1 June 2026 — June Bank Holiday
- 3 August 2026 — August Bank Holiday
- 26 October 2026 — October Bank Holiday
- 25 December 2026 — Christmas Day
- 26 December 2026 — St Stephen’s Day
The 2026 count of 10 confirms Ireland’s new normal. For the UK, no changes are projected for 2026 — England and Wales will remain at 8 unless Parliament legislates otherwise.
The implication: The gap between Ireland and England and Wales is permanent. Anyone who assumed the 10-count was a temporary 2024 quirk will need to adjust — Ireland’s 10 holidays are here to stay.
För en detaljerad genomgång av samtliga datum i Republiken Irland kan du se den fullständig lista över Irlands bankhelger 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a bank holiday and a public holiday?
In Ireland, “bank holiday” and “public holiday” are often used interchangeably, but technically, bank holidays are those designated in the Banking Holidays Act while public holidays are defined in the Organisation of Working Time Act. In practice, the lists are identical. In the UK, bank holidays are set by royal proclamation; public holidays are a broader category that includes bank holidays plus other days like Good Friday and Christmas Day.
Are bank holidays paid time off in Ireland?
Yes, employees who qualify (worked at least 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks) are entitled to paid time off on public holidays. If required to work, they get additional compensation — either a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave, or additional pay.
Are bank holidays paid time off in the UK?
There is no statutory right to paid time off on bank holidays in the UK. Whether you get them off depends on your employment contract. Many full-time workers receive bank holidays as part of their annual leave package, but it’s not guaranteed by law.
Do all UK nations have the same bank holidays?
No. England and Wales have 8, Scotland has 9, and Northern Ireland has 10. The differences come from regional holidays: Scotland’s 2 January holiday and Northern Ireland’s St Patrick’s Day and Battle of the Boyne (12 July) are unique to those nations.
What happens if a bank holiday falls on a weekend?
In both Ireland and the UK, if a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it’s usually moved to the following Monday. For example, Ireland’s St Patrick’s Day in 2024 (17 March, a Sunday) was observed on Monday 18 March. Similarly, Christmas and Boxing Day are moved if they fall at weekends.
Are there any extra bank holidays in 2024 for royal events?
No. In 2024, no extra bank holidays were granted for royal events in the UK or Ireland. The last additional UK bank holiday was for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. No similar events are scheduled for 2024.
“Ireland now has 10 public holidays per year following the permanent introduction of St Brigid’s Day in 2023. This is a permanent increase from the previous 9.”
Citizens Information (Ireland’s official public service information site)
“The UK government publishes separate lists of bank holidays for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland because they have different historical traditions.”
Gov.uk (official UK government)
The implication is clear: anyone planning holidays in 2024 or beyond needs to check their specific jurisdiction, as the days off vary significantly between Ireland and the UK regions.
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