Public Holidays in Ireland for 2019
Ireland has two divisions; the Northern and the Republic. They have different ways of celebrating similar public holidays. The Republic of Ireland has nine public holidays, and the Northern has ten.
During public holidays, government offices, businesses and schools will be closed. The employees will be entitled to receive pay during public holidays from their company. However, the employees who have not worked for 40 hours in five weeks are exempted from this. If the public holiday happens to be a weekend, they will observe it on the following weekday.
The employer decides when the employee can take their annual leave, but they must consider factors that include your family responsibilities.
You can find out more about the public holidays in Ireland as you read on.
What Employers Must Know About Ireland Public Holidays
Full-time workers receive benefits on public holidays, and the part-time workers are entitled to it if they have worked for 40 hours during the previous five weeks. When the employee during public holidays, they will receive pay based on the rates they agreed to. Aside from that, they will also receive benefits during public holidays. It is not the same for every public holiday, and it is individualized for each employee based on their work pattern.
The annual leave is taken based on what the employer decides based on the work requirements, and it is subject to the employer who takes into account the family responsibilities of the employee. Employers must also consider the time for rest and recreation the employee must-have.
Dates of the Ireland Public Holiday 2019
| Date | Day/s | Holiday | Type |
| 1 January | Tuesday | New Year’s Day | National |
| 17 March | Sunday | St. Patrick’s Day | National |
| 20 March | Wednesday | March Equinox | Season |
| 19 April | Friday | Good Friday | Observance |
| 21 April | Sunday | Easter | Observance |
| 22 April | Monday | Easter Monday | National |
| 6 May | Monday | May Day | National |
| 3 June | Monday | June Bank Holiday | National |
| 21 June | Friday | June Solstice | Season |
| 5 August | Monday | August Bank Holiday | National |
| 23 September | Monday | September Equinox | Season |
| 28 October | Monday | October Bank Holiday | National |
| 22 December | Monday | December Solstice | Season |
| 24 December | Tuesday | Christmas Eve | Observance |
| 25 December | Wednesday | Christmas Day | Observance |
| 26 December | Thursday | St. Stephen’s Day | National |
| 31 December | Tuesday | New Year’s Eve | Observance |
If the regular holiday date is on the weekend, it usually will be observed during the next Monday. For instance, Boxing Day is on a Saturday so they will celebrate it the following Monday.
Employee Benefits During Public Holidays
Holiday pay will be earned based on the time the employee worked. All the employees, full-time and part-time, casual or temporary receive holiday entitlements from when they started working.
Based on the Organization of Working Time Act 1997, employees must be given four weeks of holiday every leave year. They will have pro-rata entitlements for the employment periods of less than a year.
Calculation Basis of Employee Benefits
- Four weeks of work during a leave year wherein the employee has worked at least 1,365 hours
- 1/3 of one working week in a calendar month that the employee has worked at least 117 hours
- 8% of the total number of hours an employee has worked in a leave year, but this is subject to four weeks of work maximum
The time when the annual leave can be taken is determined by what the employer has when it comes to working requirements. It is also based on the employer considering the employees’ need for family responsibilities and their time for rest.
Part-time workers are entitled to one day pay in case the holiday is on a day they usually work. In case the employee must work on that day, you will receive an additional one day pay.
Doing Business in Ireland
There are over 1,000 multinational companies in Ireland, and most of them are in Dublin, which is their capital. Ireland wants to be the best country among small countries to do business. They have improved their ranking in the past years. They are graded based on innovation, property rights, technology, taxes, freedom, corruption, investor protection, red tape, and performance in the stock market.
Ireland is now favoured by global firms to build their headquarters. Companies like Microsoft, Apple, Pfizer, Facebook, Google, and a lot more have their offices here.
There are many reasons why setting up a business in Ireland, and it will be a wise move.
