Long weekends in Ireland, 2026
2026 has 10 public holidays, and 9 of them give you a weekday off. The best bridge: 4 days off for 1 day of leave around New Year's Day.
The best bridges in 2026
Each public holiday on a weekday, with the leave that stretches it furthest.
- Thu, Jan 1
New Year's Day
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Thu, Jan 1 to Sun, Jan 4
Take off: Fri, Jan 2
- Best value
- Mon, Feb 2
St. Brigid’s Day
- Free long weekend
3 days off, no leave needed · Sat, Jan 31 to Mon, Feb 2
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Fri, Jan 30 to Mon, Feb 2
Take off: Fri, Jan 30
- Longest break
10 days off for 5 days of leave · Sat, Jan 24 to Mon, Feb 2
Take off: Mon, Jan 26 to Fri, Jan 30
- Free long weekend
- Tue, Mar 17
St. Patrick’s Day
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Sat, Mar 14 to Tue, Mar 17
Take off: Mon, Mar 16
- Longest break
10 days off for 5 days of leave · Fri, Mar 13 to Sun, Mar 22
Take off: Fri, Mar 13, Mon, Mar 16, and Wed, Mar 18 to Fri, Mar 20
- Best value
- Mon, Apr 6
Easter Monday
- Free long weekend
3 days off, no leave needed · Sat, Apr 4 to Mon, Apr 6
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Fri, Apr 3 to Mon, Apr 6
Take off: Fri, Apr 3
- Longest break
10 days off for 5 days of leave · Sat, Mar 28 to Mon, Apr 6
Take off: Mon, Mar 30 to Fri, Apr 3
- Free long weekend
- Mon, May 4
May Bank Holiday
- Free long weekend
3 days off, no leave needed · Sat, May 2 to Mon, May 4
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Fri, May 1 to Mon, May 4
Take off: Fri, May 1
- Longest break
10 days off for 5 days of leave · Sat, Apr 25 to Mon, May 4
Take off: Mon, Apr 27 to Fri, May 1
- Free long weekend
- Mon, Jun 1
June Bank Holiday
- Free long weekend
3 days off, no leave needed · Sat, May 30 to Mon, Jun 1
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Fri, May 29 to Mon, Jun 1
Take off: Fri, May 29
- Longest break
10 days off for 5 days of leave · Sat, May 23 to Mon, Jun 1
Take off: Mon, May 25 to Fri, May 29
- Free long weekend
- Mon, Aug 3
August Bank Holiday
- Free long weekend
3 days off, no leave needed · Sat, Aug 1 to Mon, Aug 3
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Fri, Jul 31 to Mon, Aug 3
Take off: Fri, Jul 31
- Longest break
10 days off for 5 days of leave · Sat, Jul 25 to Mon, Aug 3
Take off: Mon, Jul 27 to Fri, Jul 31
- Free long weekend
- Mon, Oct 26
October Bank Holiday
- Free long weekend
3 days off, no leave needed · Sat, Oct 24 to Mon, Oct 26
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Fri, Oct 23 to Mon, Oct 26
Take off: Fri, Oct 23
- Longest break
10 days off for 5 days of leave · Sat, Oct 17 to Mon, Oct 26
Take off: Mon, Oct 19 to Fri, Oct 23
- Free long weekend
- Fri, Dec 25
Christmas Day
- Free long weekend
3 days off, no leave needed · Fri, Dec 25 to Sun, Dec 27
- Best value
4 days off for 1 day of leave · Thu, Dec 24 to Sun, Dec 27
Take off: Thu, Dec 24
- Longest break
16 days off for 8 days of leave · Sat, Dec 19 to Sun, Jan 3
Take off: Mon, Dec 21 to Thu, Dec 24 and Mon, Dec 28 to Thu, Dec 31
- Free long weekend
Plan your leave for 2026
Tell it how many days of leave you have. It picks the breaks that give the most days off in a row.
37 days off in 9 breaks
Uses 10 days of leave
- Thu, Jan 1 to Sun, Jan 44 days off for 1 day of leave
- Fri, Jan 30 to Mon, Feb 24 days off for 1 day of leave
- Sat, Mar 14 to Tue, Mar 174 days off for 1 day of leave
- Fri, Apr 3 to Mon, Apr 64 days off for 1 day of leave
- Fri, May 1 to Mon, May 44 days off for 1 day of leave
- Fri, May 29 to Mon, Jun 14 days off for 1 day of leave
- Fri, Jul 31 to Mon, Aug 34 days off for 1 day of leave
- Fri, Oct 23 to Mon, Oct 264 days off for 1 day of leave
- Wed, Dec 23 to Sun, Dec 275 days off for 2 days of leave
2026 at a glance
Public holidays in Ireland, 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| January 1Thursday | Thursday | New Year's Day |
| February 2Monday | Monday | St. Brigid’s Day |
| March 17Tuesday | Tuesday | St. Patrick’s Day |
| April 6Monday | Monday | Easter Monday |
| May 4Monday | Monday | May Bank Holiday |
| June 1Monday | Monday | June Bank Holiday |
| August 3Monday | Monday | August Bank Holiday |
| October 26Monday | Monday | October Bank Holiday |
| December 25Friday | Friday | Christmas Day |
| December 26Saturday | Saturday | St. Stephen’s Day, Falls on a weekend |
Turn New Year's Day into a trip
Plan the days, the stays and the bookings in one itinerary, with your group, on Waiz.
Long weekends in Ireland: questions
There are 10 public holidays in Ireland in 2026, 9 of them on a weekday.
Taking 1 day of leave off around New Year's Day (Fri, Jan 2) gives you 4 days off in a row.
Spend leave next to public holidays that fall on a Tuesday, Thursday or a Monday or Friday next to a weekend. With 10 days of leave of leave, the planner above finds 37 days off in 2026.
Holiday dates from the date-holidays project (CC BY-SA 3.0), checked against official government sources. Company agreements and contracts can add or move days off; check yours before booking.
