June Bank Holiday in Ireland: Dates and Best Escapes

Light until almost ten

If you only get one Irish long weekend away this year, make it this one. The June bank holiday falls within a few weeks of the summer solstice, so the light hangs around until nearly ten o’clock at night and it’s bright again before five in the morning. You can fit an extraordinary amount into a day: a morning hike, a long lunch, a swim, and a pint outside as the sun finally goes down.

The holiday is always the first Monday in June. It’s been on the books since the 1970s, and for many families it marks the end of the school year for older students and the start of summer proper.

The Leaving Cert weekend

There’s a reason secondary school students don’t remember the June bank holiday fondly. The State exams (the Junior Cycle and Leaving Cert) traditionally begin in the days straight after it, so for a lot of households this is a weekend of revision timetables rather than road trips. Secondary schools usually finish classes just before the holiday.

If that’s your house this year, a day trip somewhere close (a beach, a forest walk, a picnic) can do more for nerves than another afternoon of notes. Primary schools stay open until late June, so families with younger children usually stick to a weekend break rather than a long holiday.

What’s on

The June weekend is packed with events. The Cat Laughs comedy festival has been a fixture in Kilkenny over the June bank holiday for decades, and Bloom, the big garden and food festival in the Phoenix Park, is traditionally held around this weekend too. Listowel Writers’ Week usually runs in late May or early June, and there are sea festivals, regattas and summer fairs all along the coast.

Check dates each year as they do shift. The flip side of a busy events calendar is that host towns fill up fast: if a festival is the reason you’re going, book your bed when you buy your tickets.

• Kilkenny: the Cat Laughs comedy festival over the bank holiday weekend.
• Dublin: Bloom in the Phoenix Park, with show gardens, food and plant stalls.
• Coastal towns: regattas, sea swims and harbour festivals.
• Everywhere: open-air markets, sports fixtures and the first outdoor concerts of summer.

Where to go for the long weekend

This is the weekend for the places that need good light and dry trails. Kerry is the obvious pick: Dingle’s Slea Head drive, Killarney National Park and the Gap of Dunloe all reward long evenings. Sligo’s beaches and Benbulben, Connemara’s mountains and the Donegal coast are just as good, and with sunset so late you can arrive on Friday evening and still get a walk in.

If you’d rather not drive far from Dublin, the Wicklow Mountains and the Boyne Valley both shine in June, and Carlingford on the Cooley peninsula has the mountains, the lough and a good food scene in one compact package.

Sea swimming in June

The sea is starting to warm up, though ‘warm’ is relative. Water temperatures around the Irish coast are typically in the low to mid teens in early June. On a sunny day, a sheltered beach can feel lovely. Lifeguard cover on many beaches starts at weekends from June and goes daily in July and August, so swim at a lifeguarded beach between the flags where you can.

Rip currents are a real risk at some surfing beaches. Check local signs, ask in the surf school if you’re unsure, and keep an eye on children at all times.

Book early, really

June is when demand for Irish accommodation starts to climb towards its August peak, and the bank holiday weekend is among the busiest of the year for domestic travel. In Dingle, Kinsale, Westport, Killarney and Carlingford, the best places can be gone weeks ahead. Two- and three-night minimum stays are standard.

A few ways to beat it: stay a little outside the hotspot town, consider self-catering for groups, or look at Sunday to Tuesday instead of Friday to Monday if you can take a day of leave. You’ll often get a better room for less.

Driving tips

Traffic out of Dublin on the Friday afternoon is heavy, particularly on the M7, M9 and M1, and the return on Monday evening is just as slow. Leaving before lunch on Friday, or early on Saturday, makes a big difference. Many scenic roads in Kerry and Donegal are narrow and busy with cyclists and tour coaches at this time of year, so give yourself time and pull in to let others pass.

Midsummer and bonfire night

A few weeks after the bank holiday comes midsummer, and in parts of Ireland the old tradition of lighting bonfires on St John’s Eve, 23 June, is still kept. It’s especially strong in parts of Cork, Kerry and the west, where it’s simply called Bonfire Night. The custom goes back to pre-Christian celebrations of the solstice.

If you’re lucky enough to have an extended June break, the days around the solstice are perfect for a sunset walk on the Atlantic coast, where sunset in the west can be close to 10.30pm.

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

What time does it get dark in Ireland in June?

Around the June bank holiday, sunset in Dublin is after 9.30pm, and later in the west. It doesn’t get fully dark until well after 11pm.

Is the June bank holiday always the first Monday in June?

Yes. In the Republic of Ireland, the June bank holiday is always the first Monday of June.

Does Northern Ireland have a June bank holiday?

No. Northern Ireland and Britain have a late May bank holiday instead, on the last Monday in May.

When does the Leaving Cert start?

The State exams usually begin on the Wednesday after the June bank holiday. Check the State Examinations Commission timetable for the exact date.

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