When is the June Bank Holiday in Ireland?
This national holiday is celebrated on the first Monday in June and first became a holiday in 1974. In Gaelic it is known as 'Lá Saoire i mí Mheitheamh',
This holiday is derived from the Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday holiday which was first established as a public holiday in Ireland by the Bank Holidays Act 1871, when Ireland was still part of the United Kingdom.
Whit Sunday falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter, which means as the date of Easter moves around in the calendar, so does Whit Monday. It was decided that a more consistent date for this holiday should be used.
This legislation was changed in 1973 when the Holidays (Employees) Act moved and renamed the holiday to the First Monday in June in 1974.
In the UK, a similar change was made, but the last Monday in May was chosen instead.
