October bank holiday 2026 Ireland: date and your rights
The October bank holiday in Ireland is on Monday 26 October 2026. It is always the last Monday in October, and it is one of Ireland's ten public holidays (Citizens Information). In 2027 it falls on Monday 25 October.
- Date: Monday 26 October 2026
- Long weekend: Saturday 24 to Monday 26 October
- Next public holiday: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026
What you are entitled to
Most employees get a public holiday benefit. Full-time workers qualify straight away; part-time workers qualify if they have worked at least 40 hours in the 5 weeks before the holiday. If you qualify, your employer gives you one of these:
- a paid day off on the day itself
- a paid day off within a month of the holiday
- an extra day of annual leave
- an extra day's pay
Your employer chooses which. You can ask, at least 21 days before the holiday, which one will apply. If your employer has not answered at least 14 days before, you are entitled to take the day itself off with pay. For 26 October, 21 days before is Monday 5 October and 14 days before is Monday 12 October. All of this comes from the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, as Citizens Information explains (Citizens Information).
If you work on the bank holiday
Working on the day does not mean you lose the benefit: you still get one of the other three options, such as a paid day off within a month or an extra day's pay. Part-time workers who are not rostered that day are also covered if they meet the 40-hour test. The Workplace Relations Commission handles complaints if an employer does not give the benefit.
What is open
On a public holiday most businesses and schools close, Citizens Information says, while services such as public transport keep running on reduced timetables. Check your bus or rail operator's holiday timetable before you travel.
Many schools are already off that week: the autumn mid-term break usually covers the same Monday to Friday, and one school's 2026/27 calendar, for example, closes from 26 to 30 October (Bettystown NS). Check your own school's calendar.
Ireland's public holidays in 2026 and 2027
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January | 1 January |
| Saint Brigid's Day (first Monday in February, or 1 February if a Friday) | 2 February | 1 February |
| Saint Patrick's Day | 17 March | 17 March |
| Easter Monday | 6 April | 29 March |
| May bank holiday | 4 May | 3 May |
| June bank holiday | 1 June | 7 June |
| August bank holiday | 3 August | 2 August |
| October bank holiday | 26 October | 25 October |
| Christmas Day | 25 December | 25 December |
| Saint Stephen's Day | 26 December | 26 December |
Dates from Citizens Information. Good Friday is not a public holiday, although some schools and businesses close.
Quick answers
- When is the October bank holiday 2026 in Ireland? Monday 26 October 2026.
- Do I get paid for the bank holiday? If you qualify, you get a paid day off on the day, or a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave, or an extra day's pay. Your employer decides which.
- I'm part-time. Am I covered? Yes, if you have worked 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks.
- Is it the same in Northern Ireland? No. Northern Ireland follows the UK's bank holidays, which have no October holiday (GOV.UK).
Sources
- Citizens Information: Public holidays in Ireland
- Workplace Relations Commission: workplacerelations.ie
- Bettystown National School: School calendar 2026/27
