We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL Workers’ Day or Labour Day as it’s known in some countries.
It’s a public holiday in many countries around the world but not here in Ireland.
There has in fact been calls for an extra bank holiday to be added to Irish calendar in recent years because we lag behind a good few of other EU countries. Ireland has 9 public holidays, while France and Germany have 11 and several countries have 13. So should we have more?
Poll: Should Ireland have more bank holidays throughout the year?
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Work in government, every day’s a Bank Holiday
@herp: Don’t forget the two weeks full paid sick leave all civil servants take during the year. Slap on some parental leave and maternity leave and two weeks paid holiday leave.
Only the private sector debt slaves and farmers do any real work in Ireland.
@leartius: I am not sure the public sector employees who work in hospitals would go along with you.
@leartius: Parental leave is unpaid and every employed parent in the country is entitled to it. Maternity leave is also a legal right for every employee who gives birth to a child. Sick leave is taken when needed by every employee and when recommended by a GP.
@leartius: I work in the public sector, 3.5 sick days a year, don’t no were u get your information from?
@Earth Traveller: absolutely all frontline worker’s risking theirs and families, don’t tar all same brush.
@leartius: oh to be as blinkered. You generalise, you lose.
@leartius: I started in the public sector 3 years ago and have not taken 1 sick day infact I’ve taken 1 work day off and that was a Friday for a wedding.
@leartius: I’m a public servant and other than a fortnight nearly three years ago when I was very sick I don’t take any sick leave. Nor do the vast majority of my colleagues
@leartius: All civil servants!? Get a grip on yourself!
@leartius: must be great claiming maternity and paternity leave plus two weeks holidays, all in the one year. Where do I sign up? Wait till the private sector hears you can have paid leave
@Heisen berg1: my missus does too and she has 90 sick days over 3 years. She’s always complain about agency staff not knowing what they’re doing because there’s always someone out sick or on maternity leave.
@leartius: Some clever person years ago lumped in civil service with public sector so their demands would garner some sympathy. Don’t confuse the two.
@Bennett blaster: you’d be a fair man/woman if you could claim paternity and maternity leave…
@leartius: join the civil service if it is so great . Public jobs.ie advertise the jobs
@Steph: exactly, but something tells me Ieartius isn’t interested in actual facts you know. Just in bashing public sector workers. No problem during the boom when PS workers were earning pittance next to the private sector thou… just when life choices bite you know…
@leartius: what are you talking about? Uncertified sick leave is 7 days over 2 years on a rolling basis. It is not based on a calendar year.
@leartius: Don’t be a bellend.. There is a pandemic going on
@leartius: what about the Queens day
@leartius: Civil Servants are watched closely by HR. Every single leave request recorded and goes on your permanent record. Abuses get flagged and it can affect your probation, your quarterly evaluation, any promotion application and your pay increment.
@Conor Egan: Exactly self certified sick leave is maximum 7 days allowed within a two year period, and if you’re off sick for 3 or more consecutive days you require a medical cert.
@leartius: If public sector jobs are so good why didn’t you take one – they were crying out for staff in the 2 years up until March. Public sector staff were leaving in droves to take up jobs in the private sector.
@Steph: It’s not always taken when needed, not in the public service anyway despite popular opinion. Anyone who has travelled on packed commuter trains in winter knows this. Coughs, sneezes and splutters from at least half of commuters packed together sometimes for an hour or more. This may change in both the private and public sector now because of C19.
Once all this doom and gloom is past we should have an extra one. Where everything shuts down to remind us of what this was like and be thankful we made it and in memory of those that didn’t.
@ThatLJD: Yes, everything should shut down. It’s ridiculous that retail and other sectors are 364 days a year, I remember when shops closed on a Sunday and everyone survived. At Christmas people had a decent break and it was fine.
@Bennett blaster: but, but I thought we were fighting our right to go to the pub on good Friday..
@Lad: that was a religious thing for some folks. I reckon a proper shit down and people quit worrying about going shopping for one day other than Christmas, when some shops are even open now. While this has gone on a bit too long at this stage. It was nice for a while not to be concerned or hear chat about all that or those things.
@Bennett blaster: worked in security in a large shopping centre a few years ago. Was on a christmas shift, 9 people turned up to see if the place was open. The mind boggles.
@Bennett blaster: don’t think so! Imagine doing a bit of DIY on a Sunday and needing some stuff. Nowhere open to get it. That’s what happens on the Continent!
@Joe: Oh no! Imagine having to wait for the following Sunday, how would you make it??
For many workers, a bank holiday is now much more useful than taking a day of flexible leave. On a bank holiday, your inbox is less filled with requests or demands from those who are still working that day. An occasional day off on leave can turn out simply to be day of deferred work that you have to catch up on afterwards or prepare for in advance. When most people are off at the same time, this effect is reduced.
@Terry McClatchey:
When I take a holiday, I turn off notifications and don’t check my email. You should do the same.
You don’t *get* a holiday, you *take* a holiday.
21st January should definitely be one. The First Dáil of the Irish Republic meets and issues a Declaration of Independence from the UK. After that 1 other date in recognition of the Famine.
@Jay: and it would be something to look forward to when you go back to work after Christmas.
Hello why do you think we have a May Bank holiday !!! This decision was made by the government in lieu of May 1 st. I remember when there was no May weekend!
Odd poll to hold when a lot of people just want to get back to work at this time.
@2thFairy: click bait. The same as all Journal polls.
Should be one to mark our independence.
@Brian Dunne: We don’t have an Independence Day because historians and political controversialists don’t know when we became independent. Was it in December 1921 when Irish soldiers formally took possession of Dublin Castle? or was it the day in January 1922 when the Dail after the treaty vote started its normal business? or is no Independence Day possible until Robert Emmet’s epitaph can be written?
We’ll just have to continue with St. Patrick’s Day until a future census finds that 50% of the population + 1 declare themselves to be ‘no religion’ and 17th March is banished for being ‘sectarian’. But maybe Robert Emmet’s epitaph will have been written before that eventuality.
@Garreth Byrne: I’d have no problem scrapping Paddy’s day for a proper public holiday regarding independence
@Garreth Byrne: should it not be (I forget the actual date )in 1947 when we actually became independent ?
There should be one each month
Why stop at four?
Not like it matters now. Those that don’t get bank holidays are essential workers that don’t get those long weekend breaks, and those that do aren’t going anywhere and likely on €350 a week.
We have had enough days off this year thanks.
@Logan Shepherd: I haven’t.Im still working and caring for relatives too.
@Trish O’Leary-Dunne: Good point. I retract my initial comment.
What is with good Friday. It is every where a bank holiday but not in Ireland.
@Sebastian Schulze: It is a Bank Holiday in Ireland, not a Public Holiday
@Sebastian Schulze: Several other countries don’t work Good Friday also
We should have 1 for February, September and November to break up the year more
This will be hard to predict the outcome
We have a bank holiday this weekend! More than enough in the Calendar
@Lochlainn Marcus: Somebody needs to take you to the pub once they are open again
@Mary: Ah you’re grand Mary keep your covids to yourself thanks anyway
July.
As one in March, April, May, & August
@Marie Louise Ryan: yes….I agree there should be one in July.
There should be one to remember our frontline workers and the way they’re putting themselves at risk for our wellbeing! It may be their paid job, but there’s no denying they’re going above and beyond in their duty of care for all our citizen’s! This caretaker government haven’t got a patch on them!
I used to work for an American company and my colleagues stateside always thought we’d more public holidays than them. They got very confused when I told them they had the exact same as us because our employer gave them a “floating” public holiday to use for their specific religions. And that was based on federal holidays over there, they also have state specific public holidays. But my German and south American colleagues had at least double what we have, though the Germans can only take the religious holidays if they pay the relevant taxes.
Its like asking if people like taking cocaine or men if they like blow jobs. Of course we want more bank holidays
Why are they called (Bank) holidays? Genuine question?
The name originates (19th Century) because these were the days on which the banks were closed for trading.
Now, the difference between “Bank” and “Public” holidays is non-existent.
@Peter Coen: Officially these days are public holidays and not bank holidays. Most bank holidays are public holidays but there are some extra days that banks are closed such as Good Friday and 27th December that are not public holidays.
@Jane Alford: bank holidays still exist
@Conor Kirwan: thanks.
@Conor Kirwan: Thanks for clearing that for me.
One a week
An extra 1 would be good. But don’t compare to France. There if the holiday falls on the weekend you lose it.
Ah just want to remind every one that we get the first Monday in May off in lieu of the May day bank holiday. It only came in about 25 or so years ago, so no point in using May the 1st in other countries as a reason to look for more.
Why limit it to four? 52 bank holidays extra be about right
Japan has some 20 bank holiday days in the year and its one of the leading economies in the world
We already get the May Day bank holiday on the first Monday after it!
@Sara Davis:
Agree, it would seem that like most people the writer is getting Bank holidays and Public holidays mixed up and really should have checked it first, Google it only takes less than a minute. Their is a suggestion that in a United Ire. that the 12th of July would be made a Public holiday as well.
On the extra days what would u have the exxtra days for
Every day is now a bank holiday with the current lockdown. We have had 37 days on the trot.
But in France, if the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it isn’t carried over to the next Monday. You loose it. So every year a few Bank Holidays are lost.
One to mark independence, the famine/forced immigrants and those that perished at war. The fact we don’t remember those that died for the country or because of the country is quite sad.
I dont like Bank Holidays. Its like two Sundays in the weekend and i dont like Sundays.
Were after having 2months of them is enough to do for a while lol
have your say