Campaign grows for Ireland to get another public holiday, honouring St Colmcille
Ireland could get another public holiday if proposals to have our third patron saint granted a day in his memory go through.
Following the addition of St Brigid's Day in 2023, we now enjoy 10 public holidays.
Our third national saint after St Patrick and St Brigid is St Colmcille – and a campaign to have a public holiday named after him is growing.
Donegal County Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh proposed a motion for the local authority to ask the Government to establish a new public holiday in honour of St Colmcille, who is also known as St Columba.
On the saint's feast day yesterday, he said: "Ireland is two days behind the European average of 12 public.
"St Colmcille is Ireland's third patron saint but isn't recognised with a public holiday. We're looking to even that up."
St Colmcille was born near Lifford, in Donegal in 521AD and established over 50 Christian sites throughout Ireland.
Despite the addition of St Brigid's Day, the Irish tally remains lower than the EU average of 12. For example, France has 12 this year, while Spain and Portugal both have 13.
Public holidays, which are sometimes called a bank holiday, commemorate a special day or other event.
Most businesses and schools close, while services like public transport operate with reduced schedules.
In Ireland, the 10 days are New Year's Day, St Brigid's Day, St Patrick's Day, Easter Monday, May Day, the June Bank Holiday, the August Bank Holiday, the October Bank Holiday, Christmas Day, and St Stephen's Day.
Good Friday is not a public holiday, but it is a bank holiday, meaning some businesses do close, although workers are not legally entitled to a day off.
There have been several proposals for extra public holidays in Ireland, with a Government taskforce for the Tourism Recovery Plan 2020-23 having considered an off-peak public holiday date.
It said this would "create additional domestic high spending short break demand and would extend the tourism season."
In 2021 Senator Fiona O'Loughlin called for one to coincide with the Late Late Toy Show.
The then-Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said at the time that there were discussions about having a public holiday in February, March or November.
Last year, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) called for two more public holidays in Ireland and said: "The minimum number of public holidays should be the EU average of 12."
In January, People Before Profit proposed two extra holidays for the last Mondays of September and November.
A spokesman said: "Workers in Ireland are still lagging behind their European counterparts.
"Ireland has 10 public holidays. In contrast, Germany and Sweden have 13 paid public holidays, Italy has 14 and Austria has 15." Dublin City University's Dr Brenda Daly, who is an Associate Professor of Law, last month called for more public holidays.
She said: "I certainly would advocate that there is a benefit to it."
A Department of Enterprise spokesperson said. "Any proposal for the provision of another public holiday would require very careful consideration, including on the additional costs this would impose on employers."
The idea of a day off in Ireland was introduced in 1871, when the country was still under British rule.
After independence, the Bank Holidays Act was replaced by the Public Holidays Act 1924.
The Government has the authority under Article 28 of the 1922 Constitution to proclaim a new holiday.
In a letter to the Government, Mr Kavanagh wrote: "The June Bank Holiday could be renamed in honour of St Colmcille, but that wouldn't solve Ireland having less public holidays than the rest of Europe.
"We could go for a new public holiday on the first Monday in July. We don't have a public holiday in July.
"St Colmcille's story is a great story.
"I think it would be an excellent bank holiday.
"We hope the Government will look at the proposal."
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