Easter school holidays in Ireland 2027, 2028 and 2029
| School year | All schools | Contingency Wednesday |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | Last day of termSchools re-open | a primary school authority may stay open up to and including |
| 2027/28 | Last day of termSchools re-open | a primary school authority may stay open up to and including |
| 2028/29 | Last day of termSchools re-open | a primary school authority may stay open up to and including |
| 2025/26, past | Last day of termSchools re-open | a school authority may stay open up to and including |
The circular prints the last day of term and the re-opening day, not a first closed day: why the table shows two dates and nothing between them.
Making up time after unforeseen closures
To make up teaching time after unforeseen closures, schools may stay open up to and including the Wednesday shown in the table. The rules for each break specify which school authorities may use this permission.
The current circular, Circular 0018/2026, gives this general contingency rule:
the Easter break, in primary schools, may be reduced by up to three days by the school remaining open up to and including the Wednesday immediately preceding the Easter weekend.
School dates here follow the Department of Education and Youth's circulars for the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland schools follow a different calendar from their own Department of Education, which this site does not cover.
Easter holidays 2026/27: 135 days until the last day of term, on Friday 19 March 2027.
Counted in Dublin time on Wednesday 4 November 2026.
At a glance
- Between the school dates, Calculated
- ten weekdays between the last day of term on Friday 19 March 2027 and re-opening on Monday 5 April 2027, excluding both dates (sixteen days in total)
- Public holidays within, Calculated
- Included public holidays: Easter Monday (Monday 29 March 2027)
- Term ends compared with 2025/26, Calculated
- eight days earlier in the calendar than in 2025/26, when the date was Friday 27 March 2026
- Length compared with 2025/26, Calculated
- The same number of weekdays as in 2025/26
- Working days needing childcare, Calculated
- nine weekdays to cover if you work Monday to Friday, after excluding the public holiday on a weekday of this break: Easter Monday (Monday 29 March 2027)
Figures marked Calculated are worked out from the dates in the circular or the Commission's list, or from dates established by the Act and the regulations. The sources do not give these figures directly.
Add all school breaks for 2026/27 to your calendar The file contains every standardised break for 2026/27, each with its source, and no other entries.
Primary and post-primary schools share the Easter last day of term and re-opening date shown in the table. Schools covered by the contingency arrangements may stay open up to and including the Wednesday immediately before the Easter weekend to make up time lost to unforeseen closures; the current circular allows this only for primary schools. Check your school's calendar before making plans. Good Friday and Easter Monday are listed where dates are available.
Year by year, in the circular's words
Easter holidays 2026/27
All schools will close on Friday 19 March 2027, which will be the final day of the school term, unless changes are required as part of contingency arrangements to make up for time lost due to unforeseen school closures.
All schools will re-open on Monday 5 April 2027.
Contingency: where time lost to unforeseen closures must be made up, the circular allows a primary school authority to keep the school open up to and including .
Easter Monday 2027: (public holiday, worked out from the date of Easter, which the circular's contingency Wednesday confirms). Good Friday: (not a public holiday; worked out from the date of Easter). Both fall between the last day of term and the re-opening day. More on Good Friday.
Easter holidays 2027/28
All schools will close on Friday 7 April 2028 which will be the final day of the school term, unless changes are required as part of contingency arrangements to make up for time lost due to unforeseen school closures.
All schools will re-open on Monday 24 April 2028.
Contingency: where time lost to unforeseen closures must be made up, the circular allows a primary school authority to keep the school open up to and including .
Easter Monday 2028: (public holiday, worked out from the date of Easter, which the circular's contingency Wednesday confirms). Good Friday: (not a public holiday; worked out from the date of Easter). Both fall between the last day of term and the re-opening day. More on Good Friday.
Easter holidays 2028/29
All schools will close on Friday 23 March 2029, which will be the final day of the school term, unless changes are required as part of contingency arrangements to make up for time lost due to unforeseen school closures.
All schools will re-open on Monday 9 April 2029.
Contingency: where time lost to unforeseen closures must be made up, the circular allows a primary school authority to keep the school open up to and including .
Easter holidays 2025/26
All schools will close on Friday 27th March 2026, which will be the final day of the school term, unless changes are required as part of contingency arrangements to make up for time lost due to unforeseen school closures.
All schools will re-open on Monday 13th April 2026.
Contingency: where time lost to unforeseen closures must be made up, the circular allows a school authority to keep the school open up to and including .
Easter Monday 2026: (public holiday). Good Friday: (not a public holiday; worked out from the date of Easter). Both fall between the last day of term and the re-opening day. More on Good Friday.
Questions parents ask
When do schools close for Easter?
The scheduled last day of term is Friday 19 March 2027, and schools re-open on Monday 5 April 2027. Primary schools may finish later if they need to make up time lost to unforeseen closures, so check your school's calendar.
Can the Easter holidays be shortened?
Yes. Under the current circular, primary schools may stay open up to and including Wednesday 24 March 2027 to make up time lost to unforeseen closures.
Is Good Friday a public holiday?
Good Friday falls on Friday 26 March 2027 and is not a public holiday. Easter Monday, Monday 29 March 2027, has public holiday status under the Act.
Official documents
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
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.