Have you heard about the pandemic bonus in the form of a brand-new bank holiday? Now you have! We are soon to have public holiday number ten.
Yes, this is no joke. Ireland is getting a new bank holiday next year, and we are here to tell you all about the big news.
Currently, Ireland has nine public holidays, or ‘bank holidays’ as we call them, per year. Now, that number is set to rise to ten next year, and we couldn’t be more excited. We deserve it, right?
Bank holidays in Ireland are days that celebrate a special event, and some of our biggest ones are St Patrick’s Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. But, next year we will have an extra bank holiday to add to the list, and we think this is fantastic news.
But let us delve a little deeper to give you the scoop on the new bank holiday in Ireland next year.
What’s it all about? – the story behind our the new bank holiday in Ireland
Ireland is getting a new bank holiday next year, but although the date is not set in stone just yet, rumour has it that the new bank holiday is due to fall on St Brigid’s Day, 1 February.
St Brigid’s Day, also known as Imbolc, is the first day of spring. The date falls exactly halfway between the Winter Solstice (21 December) and the Spring Equinox (20 March). We think this could be the ideal time for the new bank holiday in Ireland to shake away those winter blues.
The whole idea behind the new bank holiday is to reward frontline workers for their hard and selfless work during the COVID-19 pandemic. We think this sentiment is such a great depiction of true Irish appreciation and gratitude.
The government is still due to announce the new date for next year. However, that won’t stop us from getting excited about it.
Ireland is getting a new bank holiday – what this means for us all
Ireland currently has one of the lowest numbers in Europe when it comes to bank holidays. Personally, we believe we deserve another one added to the list.
If the proposed date of 1 February is agreed upon, it will bridge the gap between New Year’s Day and St Patrick’s Day. This would lift the nation’s mood after the winter hibernation.
After all, we Irish really love to have something to look forward to. It would also mean that Ireland’s female patron saint would have her own official bank holiday.
Although some businesses have put pressure on the government to make this bank holiday a temporary one, we are really hopeful that this day will stick around indefinitely.
There have also been suggestions by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar himself to add the extra day to St Patrick’s weekend, making it a four-day weekend.
This, he also said, would mark two years since the pandemic, and that sounds pretty good to us too.
Hopes are high – date to be confirmed
Whatever the decision, Ireland is getting a new bank holiday regardless. It will finally take us to a total number of ten per year. However, this is still slightly lower than the EU average of 12.
Perhaps we can push for a few more bank holidays after this one is passed?
This new bank holiday will not only be a bonus for the frontline workers. Rather, for the whole nation who have come together in solidarity during the pandemic and played their part in lowering the COVID infection numbers.
Ireland is getting a new bank holiday in 2022. This could very well be one of the best things we’ve heard this year!
