What’s open on bank holidays in Ireland

The general rule

On most Irish bank holidays, shops behave much as they would on a Sunday. Supermarkets open, often a little later and closing a little earlier than usual, and big shopping centres follow suit. Banks, post offices, government offices and schools close. Pubs and restaurants open as normal and are usually busier. Public transport runs, usually to a Sunday timetable.

Holiday by holiday

• Bank holiday Mondays (St Brigid’s Day in February, May, June, August and October): Sunday-style opening for shops, Sunday timetables for public transport, banks and post offices closed.
• St Patrick’s Day: most shops open with shorter hours, but city centres close roads for parades, so public transport is diverted. Alcohol can be sold from 12:30, as on a Sunday.
• Good Friday: not a public holiday, so banks and many businesses are open, though schools are closed and some workplaces give the day off. Pubs and off-licences have been allowed to open since 2018.
• Easter Monday: a normal bank holiday Monday.
• Christmas Eve: not a public holiday. Shops open, but most close early, usually in the late afternoon or early evening. Public transport finishes early.
• Christmas Day: the one day almost everything closes, including supermarkets, pubs and nearly all public transport. A few independent shops and filling stations may open for a few hours in the morning.
• St Stephen’s Day: many shops reopen, often for the start of the sales, but public transport is very limited. Pubs open.
• New Year’s Day: shops open with reduced hours, and public transport runs a Sunday or holiday timetable.

Supermarkets

Here’s how the big chains usually handle bank holidays. These are typical patterns, not promises, because local stores and franchise owners set their own hours.

• Tesco: most stores open on bank holiday Mondays, often on Sunday-style or slightly reduced hours. Larger 24-hour stores may close overnight. Closed on Christmas Day.
• Dunnes Stores: generally open on bank holidays with reduced hours, and many stores open on St Stephen’s Day for the sales. Closed on Christmas Day.
• SuperValu and Centra: independently owned, so hours vary the most. Many stay open on bank holidays, and some Centra stores open for a few hours even on Christmas morning.
• Lidl and Aldi: usually open on bank holiday Mondays with shorter hours, closed on Christmas Day and often on St Stephen’s Day.

Off-licences and alcohol

Alcohol sales follow the licensing laws, not the shop’s opening hours. Off-sales are generally permitted from 10:30 on weekdays and from 12:30 on Sundays and St Patrick’s Day, and bank holiday Mondays are treated like a normal weekday. The law on Good Friday changed in 2018, so pubs and off-licences can now open. Christmas Day is the one day sales stop entirely.

Public transport

Bus, rail and Luas services run on most bank holidays, usually on a Sunday timetable. Expect fewer early-morning and late-evening services, and busier trains on the Friday evening before and the Monday evening after a long weekend.

• Irish Rail: a Sunday-style service on bank holiday Mondays, with extra services sometimes added for big events. Usually no trains on Christmas Day or St Stephen’s Day.
• Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and Luas: Sunday timetables on bank holidays. No services on Christmas Day, and a limited service on St Stephen’s Day.
• Private coaches: many run normal services, as bank holidays are busy days for travel.
• Check before you travel: the TFI Journey Planner and TFI Live app show holiday timetables.

Banks, post and pharmacies

Banks close on every bank holiday, which is where the name comes from. Card payments, online banking and ATMs still work, but transfers made over a long weekend won’t clear until the next working day. An Post offices close, though some post office counters in shops may stay open. Pharmacies set their own hours: many open for part of the day, and there’s usually an on-call option in bigger towns.

Tourist sites and attractions

Bank holiday weekends are peak days for attractions, so most open as normal or extend their hours, including OPW heritage sites, national parks, zoos and museums. Book timed tickets where you can, because the popular ones sell out. Christmas Day is the main exception, and many attractions also close on St Stephen’s Day and New Year’s Day.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has its own bank holidays and its own rules. Large shops there can only open from 1pm to 6pm on Sundays, they must close on Easter Sunday, and like everywhere else, almost everything closes on Christmas Day. On bank holiday Mondays most shops open as normal. Translink buses and trains run holiday timetables.

See every bank holiday date or plan your annual leave around them.