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Mid-Term Ireland

School holidays and bank holidays in Ireland

School holidays in Ireland 2028/29: October mid-term runs into November

Standardised school year 2028/29 (Circular 0018/2026)
BreakPrimary schoolsPost-primary schools
October mid-term break

to inclusive5 days

All schools.

Christmas holidays

Last day of termSchools re-open

All schools.

February mid-term break

to inclusive2 days

Or, with three discretionary days, the full week from to (5 days).

to inclusive5 days

Easter holidays

Last day of termSchools re-open

All schools.

Print this page for a one-page overview of the breaks in 2028/29, showing just the heading and table.

October mid-term runs into November in 2028/29, so include both months when planning childcare. Schools re-open after Christmas on a Monday in January's second week, and February mid-term falls earlier than in the previous school year. The table compares primary and post-primary arrangements. This is the final school year covered by the current circular.

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.

Christmas and Easter show the two printed days only; the February week at primary level is a choice each school makes. Circular 0018/2026.

At a glance

Standardised school breaks
four breaks: October mid-term, February mid-term, Christmas and Easter
Weekdays off for mid-termCalculated
ten weekdays for post-primary schools; seven weekdays for primary schools, or ten weekdays with three discretionary days for the full February week. The full February week may be shortened to make up for unforeseen closures, but all schools must still close on Thursday and Friday; check your school's calendar.
Minimum teaching days
182 days for primary and special schools; 166 days for post-primary schools, required by the circular
Equivalent school weeksCalculated
About 36 weeks at primary level and 33 weeks at post-primary level, based on the minimum number of teaching days and a five-day school week
School year start and summer closing
The circular gives the week containing Friday 1 September 2028 as the starting week, but sets no national opening date; each school sets its own opening and summer closing dates

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 to your calendar (.ics) The file includes only the dates shown in this table, with a note explaining the source or rule for each. No extra dates are added.

By calendar year instead: school holidays in 2028.

Days off and childcare cover for 2028/29

These figures assume a Monday-to-Friday working week. The 'Days off in a row' column includes adjoining weekends and public holidays for mid-term; for Christmas and Easter, it counts only the days between the last day of term and the re-opening day, excluding both. 'Working days needing childcare' means school weekdays off minus public holidays on those weekdays. All figures are worked out from the printed dates and marked Calculated. Use the table to plan childcare or leave, then check your school's calendar for discretionary days and any days it stays open during February or Easter to make up lost time.

Days off and childcare cover for 2028/29Calculated
BreakWhich schoolsDays off in a rowSchool weekdays offPublic holidays on those weekdaysWorking days needing childcare
October mid-term breakAll schoolsnine days, from to , inclusivefive weekdaysOctober bank holiday, four weekdays

This table leaves out Christmas holidays, February mid-term break and Easter holidays because the site's public holiday list does not cover all the calendar years needed to count public holidays during these breaks. The dates are in the table of breaks further up this page.

Summer holidays are not standardised, so there is no national count; check your school's calendar for its dates.

Planning around the breaks in 2028/29

The last day of term before Christmas is a Friday in December, and schools re-open on the second Monday in January. There are sixteen days between those dates, not counting either day; Christmas Day falls on Monday and St Stephen's Day on Tuesday during that time. Before Easter, term ends on a Friday in late March, and schools re-open on the second Monday in April. Again, there are sixteen days between the two dates, not counting either day.

October's shared break runs from the last Monday of October to a Friday in November. February gives post-primary schools Monday to Friday in the second full week, and primary schools Thursday and Friday or the week using three discretionary days. After unforeseen closures, a school authority may stay open through February's contingency Wednesday. Only a primary school authority has the corresponding Easter permission, through the Wednesday before the Easter weekend.

Each break as the circular prints it

October mid-term break 2028/29

All schools will close from Monday 30 October 2028 to Friday 3 November 2028 inclusive.

Christmas holidays 2028/29

All schools will close on Friday 22 December 2028, which will be the final day of the school term.

All schools will re-open on Monday 8 January 2029.

February mid-term break 2028/29

All primary schools will close on Thursday 15 February 2029 and 16 February 2029

primary schools may use 3 discretionary days to extend this break to an alternative option of a 5-day break for the period from Monday 12 February 2029 to Friday 16 February 2029 inclusive unless changes are required as part of contingency arrangements to make up for time lost due to unforeseen school closures.

Post-primary schools will close from Monday 12 February 2029 to Friday 16 February 2029 inclusive unless changes are required as part of contingency arrangements to make up for time lost due to unforeseen school closures.

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 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 .

Rules of Circular 0018/2026

Circular 0018/2026 also sets the rules for 2028/29: schools open on the weekday before and after each break, discretionary days can extend breaks only where the circular allows, and the start and end of the school year are not standardised. They are quoted once, in the circular's words, on the standardised school year page; the summer page explains why there is no national closing date.

Questions parents ask

Why does October mid-term run into November in 2028/29?

The break starts on Monday 30 October 2028, near the end of October, and runs until Friday 3 November 2028. The same Monday-to-Friday break applies to primary and post-primary schools, even though it crosses into November.

Has February mid-term moved earlier in the month?

Yes, it falls earlier in February than in the previous school year. The post-primary break runs from Monday 12 February 2029 to Friday 16 February 2029, and primary schools must close from Thursday 15 February 2029 to Friday 16 February 2029.

Does this circular settle the arrangements beyond this school year?

2028/29 is the final school year covered by circular 0018/2026. Its published arrangements do not establish the calendar for the school year that follows.

Official documents

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.