August Bank Holiday in Ireland: Dates and Ideas

First Monday, not last

This is the bank holiday that confuses everyone who works with colleagues across the water. In the Republic of Ireland, the August bank holiday is the first Monday of the month. Northern Ireland, England and Wales have theirs on the last Monday in August, and Scotland has its own arrangements. So if you’re booking a trip north or to Britain, or joining a call with a UK office, double-check the date.

The holiday sits right in the middle of the school summer break, which makes it the busiest long weekend of the year for Irish tourism. That’s both its appeal and its biggest drawback.

Peak festival season

If you want to be somewhere with a lot going on, August won’t let you down. The Galway Races festival runs through the last week of July and usually finishes the day before the bank holiday weekend gets going, so Galway is lively through the whole period. Waterford’s Spraoi street festival has long been a bank holiday weekend event, and countless towns hold their summer festivals now.

Later in the month, there’s Puck Fair in Killorglin (always 10 to 12 August), the Kilkenny Arts Festival, the Fleadh Cheoil, Ireland’s biggest traditional music festival, and the Rose of Tralee. They’re not all on the bank holiday weekend, but they shape the whole month and drive up prices in the host towns.

• Late July into the weekend: the Galway Races.
• Bank holiday weekend: town festivals across the country, including Spraoi in Waterford.
• 10–12 August: Puck Fair in Killorglin, Co. Kerry.
• Through August: the Kilkenny Arts Festival, Fleadh Cheoil and Rose of Tralee.

The honest truth about August

Accommodation is at its most expensive this weekend, and in the best-known places it can sell out months ahead. Roads to the west are busy, car parks at beauty spots fill up early, and restaurants get booked out. If you go in with your eyes open, you’ll have a great time. If you’re expecting quiet beaches and walk-in tables, you’ll be disappointed.

The weather is no more reliable than in May or June. Ireland’s summers are mild (18 to 20 degrees is a good day) and August is often wetter than early summer. Pack as you would for any Irish weekend: layers, a rain jacket and something for the sun, just in case.

Where to go when everywhere is busy

Our tip is to go big or go off-piste. Going big means embracing the crowd: a town in full festival swing, like Westport or Galway, where the buzz is half the fun. Going off-piste means picking places that are lovely but less famous: Achill rather than Dingle, the Waterford Greenway rather than the Ring of Kerry, the Sligo coast rather than the Cliffs of Moher.

Inland is another good bet. The Midlands lakes, Lough Derg, Kilkenny’s river villages and the Boyne Valley are often overlooked when everyone’s heading for the sea, and they have more hotel and self-catering stock than tiny coastal villages.

Booking late?

If you’ve left it until July, don’t panic. Search a little wider than your first choice, look at Sunday to Tuesday stays, and consider cities: Cork, Galway, Limerick and Kilkenny have plenty of hotel rooms, and they make good bases for day trips. Self-catering cottages are often let by the week in August, but some owners will take a short booking for an awkward gap.

Glamping and campsites are another option, though the best ones book out early, and you’ll want a plan B if the forecast is grim.

Taking the family

With schools off, the August weekend is the classic family break. Beaches with lifeguards, open farms, adventure centres, forest parks and pet farms are all in full swing, and many museums run family programmes. Book anything ticketed in advance; walking up on the day is risky.

For long drives with small children, break the journey at a town with a good playground and a café. And keep a few rainy-day options in your back pocket: caves, aquariums and indoor adventure centres can be lifesavers on a wet afternoon.

Going abroad instead

August is peak season across most of Europe too, so a cheap last-minute flight is rare. If you’re heading abroad, city breaks are generally a better bet than beach resorts: Copenhagen, Edinburgh (busy with its own festivals in August) and Kraków are good fits for a long weekend.

Why Ireland kept the first Monday

The August bank holiday dates back to the Bank Holidays Act of 1871, when Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. That act set the first Monday in August as a holiday for banks, and it soon became a popular holiday for everyone. In 1971, England, Wales and Northern Ireland moved theirs to the last Monday of August. The Republic didn’t, which is why the two parts of the island now have their August holidays almost a month apart.

That gap can work in your favour. If you live near the border or work for a company with offices in both, you may get to enjoy two different August long weekends, or at least a quieter office on one of them.

Scotland, for what it’s worth, kept the original first-Monday date, so Scottish colleagues will be off the same day as you. Banks in Scotland follow that date, though many Scottish employers set their own local summer holidays instead.

Add it to your calendar

Do you get the day off?

Most workers are owed a benefit for every public holiday, but it isn’t always the day itself. Read your public holiday rights.

Frequently asked questions

Is the August bank holiday the same in Ireland and the UK?

No. Ireland’s is the first Monday of August. Northern Ireland, England and Wales take the last Monday of August.

When is Puck Fair?

Puck Fair in Killorglin, Co. Kerry, is held from 10 to 12 August every year.

Is the August bank holiday the busiest weekend in Ireland?

It’s generally the busiest long weekend for domestic tourism, because it falls in the school summer holidays.

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