New Year’s Day Bank Holiday in Ireland

The quietest morning of the year

There’s a particular kind of silence on the morning of 1 January in Ireland. The roads are empty, the shops that do open don’t bother until late, and half the country is moving slowly after the night before. New Year’s Day has been a public holiday here for as long as most people can remember, and it’s one of the few that almost everybody actually gets off.

It also tends to feel like the tail end of the Christmas break rather than a holiday in its own right. A lot of workplaces close from Christmas Eve until the first working day of January, so for many people New Year’s Day is simply the last lie-in before the alarm goes off again.

When it lands on a weekend

The date never moves: it’s always 1 January. What changes is the day of the week. When New Year’s Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, banks and the vast majority of employers give the following Monday off instead, and our tables show that substitute day alongside the real date.

One thing worth knowing: the law doesn’t automatically give you the Monday. You’re entitled to a benefit for the public holiday, but the employer decides which one. In practice the Monday off is so common that most people never notice the difference. If your job works differently, our page on public holiday rights explains the options.

What’s open and what isn’t

Banks, post offices and most government offices are closed. Large supermarkets usually open, but often for shorter hours, and smaller shops in towns are a coin toss. Pubs and restaurants generally trade as normal, although plenty of family-run places take the day off after a busy December, so ring ahead if you’ve a particular spot in mind.

Buses, trains and the Luas run a reduced holiday or Sunday-style timetable. Services that were suspended on Christmas Day are back, but frequencies are lower than usual and late evening services can be thin. If you’re travelling to or from an airport, check the first and last departures the day before.

• Closed: banks, post offices, most public offices, many independent shops.
• Usually open: big supermarkets (shorter hours), pubs, most hotels and restaurants.
• Transport: reduced timetable on Irish Rail, Dublin Bus, Luas and Bus Éireann.
• Petrol stations on main roads and motorway service areas: open as normal.

The New Year’s Day swim

If there’s one Irish New Year’s tradition that has properly taken off, it’s getting into the sea. The Forty Foot in Sandycove is the best-known spot, but there are organised dips at beaches and harbours all around the coast, from Salthill to Tramore, most of them raising money for local charities. Some are fancy-dress affairs; others are a handful of regulars and a flask of tea.

The water in early January sits at roughly 8 to 10 degrees. That’s cold enough to take your breath away, so go in gradually, don’t stay in long, and have warm layers ready for the moment you get out. Never swim alone, and if there’s a lifeguard or organiser, do what they say.

Walks to clear the head

For those of us who prefer to stay dry, a long walk is the default. Around Dublin, Howth Head’s cliff path, Killiney Hill and the Wicklow Way near Enniskerry are the usual suspects, and they get busy by early afternoon. Further afield, the Glendalough lakes, the Kerry Way around Killarney and the beaches of Connemara are glorious on a clear winter day.

Daylight is short (in Dublin it’s dark well before half past four), so plan anything ambitious for the morning. Pack a head torch if there’s any chance you’ll still be on the trail after sunset, and remember that car parks at popular spots are often full by eleven.

Making a short break of it

Because so many people are off between Christmas and New Year, the days around 1 January are perfect for a two- or three-night escape. Country house hotels and spa hotels run New Year packages that include the gala dinner on the 31st; these sell out early, sometimes by October. If you missed the boat, look at the nights straight after New Year instead, as prices drop sharply on the 1st and 2nd.

City breaks work well too. Kilkenny, Galway and Cork all have plenty going on, and if the weather turns you’re never far from a museum, a café or a fire. For something more rural, a cottage in Wicklow or the Boyne Valley gives you walks by day and a quiet evening by night.

Planning the year from here

New Year’s Day is also the day a lot of people sit down and plan their annual leave. It’s a good idea: the best-value bridges around Easter, St Patrick’s Day and the summer bank holidays go fast, both at work and in hotels. Our yearly planner lists every bank holiday with the smartest leave days to book, so you can claim yours before a colleague does.

If you’re working on the 1st

Not everyone gets the day off, of course. Hospitals, hotels, pubs, petrol stations and transport all need staff, and plenty of people are behind a counter or a wheel while the rest of us sleep it off. If that’s you, you’re still entitled to something for the holiday: an extra day’s pay, a day off in lieu within a month, or an extra day of annual leave. Which one is up to your employer, and our rights page sets out the detail.

If you’re paying for the night before, it’s worth knowing that taxis are extremely hard to find in the early hours of 1 January, and many venues put on extra security and stricter entry rules. Plan the journey home before you go out.

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

Do I get paid extra if I work on New Year’s Day?

You’re entitled to a benefit for the holiday: usually an extra day’s pay, a paid day off within a month, or an extra day of annual leave. Your employer chooses which.

Is 2 January a bank holiday in Ireland?

No. Only 1 January is a public holiday. Some employers stay closed until the first Monday of the year, but that’s a company decision, not a legal holiday.

Do buses and trains run on New Year’s Day?

Yes, on a reduced holiday timetable. Check the operator’s website the day before, as first and last services often change.

Are pubs open on New Year’s Day?

Yes, pubs can open on New Year’s Day. Opening hours vary and some smaller pubs close for the day after the New Year’s Eve rush.

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