Coronavirus

Ireland to consider an extra public holiday after lockdown

Ireland isn’t a country blessed with public holidays compared to its European neighbours, but Irish workers may get a surprise bonus holiday later this year as proposals are in place by the Government to declare a special bank holiday when lockdown restrictions are finally lifted.

Speaking in the Dáil, Ireland’s parliament, Minister for Tourism Brendan Griffin announced that adding an extra bank holiday to the calendar could hugely benefit tourism and hospitality sectors across the country.

Both sectors been seriously impacted as a result of the current health crisis surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking during an emergency Dáil session on the coronavirus, Minister Griffin said:

“With international aviation at a virtual standstill, the closure of tourism sites and a ban on public gatherings, the impact of Covid-19 on global tourism is overwhelming and immediate.

“In the space of a few short weeks, the Irish tourism and hospitality industry has been decimated.

“Personally for a long time I’ve felt that, coming form a country [Kerry] that’s so dependent on tourism, that an additional bank holiday – either at the earlier part of the year, or the tail end of the year – would be very helpful.

“Probably at the tail end – because with Easter and St Patrick’s Day… we have a lot of them there together in the early part of the year”.