4th May 2026
The first Monday in May is a public holiday in Ireland. Its origins lie in the ancient festival of Beltane (Bealtaine), traditionally celebrated on 1 May, which marked the beginning of summer in early Irish society and was associated with agricultural renewal, community gatherings and seasonal rituals.
In modern times, the May Bank Holiday also coincides with International Workers’ Day, providing an opportunity to reflect on social progress, workers’ rights, and the vital contribution of workers to Ireland’s economic and social development.
The most recent CSO Labour Force Survey for Q4 2025 shows that employment in Ireland has risen to over 2.83 million people, the highest level ever recorded.
In marking the holiday, which falls on Monday 4th of May this year, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, commented
“We have a proud history of supporting workers in Ireland. This year marks 80 years of the Industrial Relations Act 1946, which provided for the establishment of the Labour Court to uphold rights, and it has now been 70 years since the Conditions of Employment Act 1956 which improved legal standards for employees’ working conditions, including holiday entitlements and rest periods.
“The number of people working in Ireland has never been so high. Our role in Government is to ensure that this country continues to be a great place to live, invest and work. The contribution of workers to our national wellbeing cannot be underestimated, and I am committed to supporting that contribution in work as Minister.
Alan Dillon, Minister of State for Employment, Small Businesses and Retail commented
“Workers are the backbone of our economy that is why we continue to provide additional protections and supports to safeguard them in the workplace. In recent months we have agreed an Action Plan on Collective Bargaining with the Social Partners; increased the minimum wage and the Minimum Adequate Remuneration; signed in new legislation to give workers the option of working longer, protecting their rights at insolvency, supporting health and safety protections; and we commenced further improvements to arrangements surrounding the legislation granting the right to request remote working, to give just some examples.”
Niamh Smyth Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation added:
“As our digital world evolves, our focus, with our EU colleagues, will be on ensuring that adequate protections are put in place for workers to reflect the evolving world of work. Our Presidency of the EU will have a strong focus on the importance of quality jobs for all. We will continue to engage across industries to better understand the diverse needs of workers, championing fair labour mobility, and ensuring no group is left behind."
ENDS
Notes for Editor:
In respect of a public holiday, the employee is entitled to whichever of the following his/her employer determines:
- a paid day off on that day
- a paid day off within a month of that day
- an additional day of annual leave
- an additional day of pay
Fulltime workers have immediate entitlement to benefit for public holidays and part-time workers have entitlement to benefit when they have worked a total of 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks.
When a person works on a public holiday they are entitled to be paid for the day in accordance with their agreed rates. In addition, they also have an entitlement to benefit from the public holiday. This can be different for each public holiday and each employee depending on the individual’s work pattern.
If the business is closed in the public holiday and an employee would normally be due to work, then they get their normal day’s pay.
If the business is open and an employee works, he/she is entitled to either paid time off or an additional day’s pay. The additional day’s pay is what was paid for the normal daily hours last worked before the public holiday.
If an employee is not normally rostered to work, then they will be entitled to one fifth of their normal weekly wage extra.
If an employee ceases to be employed during the week ending on the day before the public holiday, having worked during the 4 weeks preceding that week, he/she is entitled to receive pay for the public holiday.
Where the public holiday falls on a day which is not a normal working day for that business, employees still have an entitlement to benefit, but there is no legal entitlement to have the next working day off work.
If a person is on temporary lay-off they are entitled to benefit for the public holidays that fall within the first 13 weeks of lay-off. These provisions are set out in the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997.
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