When is the August Bank Holiday in Ireland?
Known in Gaelic as 'Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa', this bank holiday on the first Monday in August dates back to the United Kingdom Bank Holidays Act of 1871 which established the first Bank holidays in Ireland.
History of the August Bank Holiday
The Republic of Ireland observes several of its public holidays on a Monday-ised basis and the May and June holidays can be traced back to earlier holidays.
There is no particular feast day that the August holiday replaces, though it is said that the day was picked by the originator of the act, Sir John Lubbock as he was a keen fan of Cricket and this day fell on an important day in the Cricket calendar.
In the UK, only Scotland still observes the August Bank Holiday at the start of the month. England, Wales and Northern Ireland moved the holiday to the last Monday in August following a trial period in 1965.
