St Brigid's Day bank holiday: 2026, 2027 and 2028
| Year | Holiday date | Applicable rule | Gap before post-primary mid-term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | February's first Monday | Post-primary mid-term begins two weeks later, on Monday 16 February 2026 | |
| 2027 | , from the rule | February's first Monday | Post-primary mid-term begins two weeks later, on Monday 15 February 2027 |
| 2028 | , from the rule | February's first Monday | Post-primary mid-term begins two weeks later, on Monday 21 February 2028 |
St Bridget's Day is an alternative spelling. Neither the Act nor the regulations names a saint. The regulations set the holiday as the first Monday in February, except when the first of February is a Friday, in which case that Friday is the holiday. The February mid-term dates.
St Brigid's Day is the February bank holiday and Ireland's newest public holiday, introduced by regulations under the Act. It falls on the first Monday in February, except when the first of February is a Friday, in which case that Friday is the holiday. St Bridget's Day is an alternative spelling. The table covers 2026, 2027 and 2028, showing each date and weekday and the gap before February mid-term.
The rule in the regulations
S.I. No. 50/2022 Organisation of Working Time (Covid-19 Commemoration) Regulations 2022, made under section 7 of, and paragraph 1(g) of the Second Schedule to, the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997:
Subject to Regulation 5, the first Monday in February 2023 and the first Monday in February each year thereafter is prescribed for the purposes of paragraph 1 of the Second Schedule to the Act of 1997.
Regulation 4 shall not apply in any year where the 1st day of February falls on a Friday and instead, in each such year, the 1st day of February is prescribed for the purposes of paragraph 1 of the Second Schedule to the Act of 1997.
The Workplace Relations Commission puts it this way:
From 2023, there is a public holiday on the first Monday in February, except where 1st February falls on a Friday in which case that Friday 1st February will be the public holiday.
The regulations set the February public holiday by weekday. It is normally the first Monday in February; when the month begins on Friday, that Friday is the holiday instead. The first Monday can fall anywhere in the opening week of the month. Every year currently covered by the table has a Monday holiday, but the Friday exception remains part of the rule. Each entry gives the date, the weekday and the rule used. The Workplace Relations Commission also explains the February holiday on its public holiday page, linked among the sources.
St Brigid's Day and the February mid-term
In the published school calendars, the February bank holiday falls during term, about two weeks before post-primary mid-term. It is a separate day off and does not form part of the mid-term break. Primary schools close on Thursday and Friday of the mid-term week, with the option of using three discretionary days to take the full week. Each year's table entry gives the gap from the bank holiday to the Monday when post-primary mid-term begins. For primary pupils, check the school's calendar to see which February arrangement applies.
- 2026: St Brigid's Day ; post-primary mid-term from (school year 2025/26)
- 2027: St Brigid's Day ; post-primary mid-term from (school year 2026/27)
- 2028: St Brigid's Day ; post-primary mid-term from (school year 2027/28)
Common questions
What date is the St Brigid's Day bank holiday in 2027?
The St Brigid's Day bank holiday is Monday 1 February 2027. The regulations determine its date by the weekday on which February begins.
Is St Brigid's Day always at the start of February?
Yes, the bank holiday falls in the first week of February: on the first Monday, unless the month begins on a Friday, when that Friday is the holiday. The dates covered here are Monday 2 February 2026, Monday 1 February 2027 and Monday 7 February 2028.
Is St Brigid's Day part of February mid-term?
No, the February bank holiday is separate from mid-term. St Brigid's Day falls two weeks before the post-primary break, which begins on Monday 15 February 2027.
Official documents
- Irish Statute Book: S.I. No. 50/2022 Organisation of Working Time (Covid-19 Commemoration) Regulations 2022 (HTML) (first read on 26 October 2026; checked again on 2 November 2026, unchanged)
- Workplace Relations Commission: Public Holidays (first read on 26 October 2026; checked again on 2 November 2026, unchanged)
- Irish Statute Book: Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, Second Schedule (as enacted) (first read on 26 October 2026; checked again on 2 November 2026, unchanged)
- Department of Education: Circular 0072/2022 Standardisation of the school year ... 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 (DOCX, 10 November 2022) (first read on 26 October 2026; checked again on 2 November 2026, unchanged)
- Department of Education and Youth: Circular 0018/2026 Standardisation of the school year ... 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29 (PDF, February 2026) (first read on 26 October 2026; checked again on 2 November 2026, unchanged)
Every date on this page was checked against these documents on . If anything here differs from the circular or the Act, the official text applies. How the dates are checked.