Easter in Ireland: Family Days Out, Egg Hunts and Spring Breaks

The first long weekend of spring

Easter Monday is a bank holiday, Good Friday isn’t, and the schools are usually off for two weeks around it. That makes Easter one of the busiest times of year for family breaks, and one where a bit of planning pays off. Book Good Friday as a leave day and you have a four-day weekend; book the four days after Easter Monday too and you get ten days off for five days of leave.

In 2027 you can join St Patrick's Day and Easter Monday: 7 days of leave for 13 days off in a row. Annual Leave Hacks 2027: How to Get 54 Days Off with 20 Days of Leave →

The weather is a gamble. You can get a warm, bright Easter or a wet one, sometimes in the same afternoon. So plan a mix: one big outdoor day, one sheltered day, and something easy for the evening.

Easter egg hunts

Almost every heritage house, garden and farm park runs an egg hunt over Easter weekend. They’re usually ticketed and sell out, so book early. The best ones are in big gardens where kids can run around, and many are run by the OPW at places like Kilkenny Castle and Muckross House.

Garden hunts: Powerscourt, Mount Usher and the National Botanic Gardens often run Easter trails.
Farm parks: many have newborn lambs at Easter, which can be the highlight for small kids.
National Trust sites in Northern Ireland run big Easter events too.

National parks and walks

Spring is a lovely time for the national parks. Killarney is coming into green, with the waterfalls full after the winter rain. Glendalough has the lakes and the walks without the summer crowds. Connemara and Wild Nephin in Mayo are quiet and big-skied. All are free to visit, though some car parks charge.

Heritage with a story

Easter has its own history in Ireland. The 1916 Rising began on Easter Monday, and in Dublin you can follow it at the GPO Museum, Kilmainham Gaol and Richmond Barracks. Kilmainham books out weeks ahead, so get tickets early. The Boyne Valley, with Newgrange and Knowth, is another good choice for a heritage day, and it’s under an hour from Dublin.

What’s open over Easter

Good Friday is a normal working day legally, but many businesses run reduced hours, and banks and schools close. Pubs have been allowed to open on Good Friday since 2018. Easter Sunday and Monday have Sunday-style hours in many shops. Our opening hours guide has the general patterns for supermarkets and transport.