The best-value annual leave in Ireland in 2027 is a single day beside a Monday public holiday: one leave day gets you four days off, and the 2027 calendar lets you do it seven times. If you want one long break instead, 13 leave days gets you 23 days off in a row, from Saturday 13 March to Sunday 4 April, by linking St Patrick’s Day and Easter Monday.
This guide is about which days to book, not the holiday dates themselves. For all ten dates, weekdays and the Christmas rules, see the Ireland bank holidays 2027 calendar. Below are the leave plans that work best for three kinds of people: Monday to Friday workers, parents lining up the school holidays, and anyone whose employer gives Good Friday or 27 and 28 December off.
How we count: you work Monday to Friday, weekends are off, weekday public holidays are paid days off, and your leave is approved. Every break counts the first and last day. Good Friday (26 March) is not a public holiday, so it counts as a leave day unless your employer says otherwise. Everything here applies to the Republic of Ireland only.
Best Days to Take Annual Leave in Ireland in 2027
| Plan | Book these days | Days off in a row | Leave days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four-day weekend (any of seven) | Mon 4 January, or a Friday or Tuesday beside a Monday holiday | 4 | 1 |
| New Year | Mon 4 to Fri 8 January | 10 (1 to 10 January) | 5 |
| St Patrick’s Day | Thu 18 and Fri 19 March | 5 (17 to 21 March) | 2 |
| St Patrick’s Day to Easter Monday | Thu 18 to Fri 26 March | 13 (17 to 29 March) | 7 |
| St Patrick’s Day plus Easter | Mon 15 March to Fri 2 April, skipping 17 and 29 March | 23 (13 March to 4 April) | 13 |
| Week away in May, June, August or October | Tuesday to Friday after the holiday | 9 | 4 |
| Christmas | Mon 27 to Fri 31 December | 9 (25 December to 2 January 2028) | 5 |
If your allowance is tight, spread it as single days. Seven one-day bookings give you seven four-day weekends for seven days of leave. If you want one proper trip, March is where the calendar does the most work for you.
Monday to Friday Workers: Where Your Leave Goes Furthest
Four Days Off for One Leave Day
Book the Friday before or the Tuesday after any Monday public holiday. Pick whichever side suits your team’s cover:
- St Brigid’s Day 2027 (Monday 1 February): Friday 29 January or Tuesday 2 February.
- Easter Monday (29 March): Friday 26 March (Good Friday) or Tuesday 30 March.
- May bank holiday 2027 (Monday 3 May): Friday 30 April or Tuesday 4 May.
- June bank holiday 2027 (Monday 7 June): Friday 4 June or Tuesday 8 June.
- August (Monday 2 August): Friday 30 July or Tuesday 3 August.
- October (Monday 25 October): Friday 22 October or Tuesday 26 October.
New Year’s Day falls on a Friday, so booking Monday 4 January also gives you four days off (1 to 4 January).
Nine Days Off for Four Leave Days
Book Tuesday to Friday after a Monday holiday and you join two weekends together:
| Holiday | Book | Nine days off |
|---|---|---|
| St Brigid’s Day | 2 to 5 February | Sat 30 January to Sun 7 February |
| Easter Monday | 30 March to 2 April | Sat 27 March to Sun 4 April |
| May | 4 to 7 May | Sat 1 May to Sun 9 May |
| June | 8 to 11 June | Sat 5 June to Sun 13 June |
| August | 3 to 6 August | Sat 31 July to Sun 8 August |
| October | 26 to 29 October | Sat 23 October to Sun 31 October |
St Patrick’s Day and Easter: The Big One
St Patrick’s Day 2027 falls on a Wednesday, 12 days before Easter Monday. That gap is what makes March the best month of the year for leave. Pick the version that fits your allowance:
- 2 leave days, 5 days off: book Thursday 18 and Friday 19 March (Wednesday 17 to Sunday 21 March). Or book Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 March for Saturday 13 to Wednesday 17 March.
- 4 leave days, 9 days off: book 15, 16, 18 and 19 March (Saturday 13 to Sunday 21 March).
- 7 leave days, 13 days off: book 18 and 19 March, then 22 to 26 March (Wednesday 17 to Easter Monday 29 March).
- 13 leave days, 23 days off: book 15 and 16 March, 18 and 19 March, 22 to 26 March and 30 March to 2 April (Saturday 13 March to Sunday 4 April).
Good Friday is inside every one of the longer plans, so don’t leave it off the request form. It’s the day people forget, and the one HR will notice.
New Year and Christmas
Book Monday 4 to Friday 8 January for ten days off, 1 to 10 January, using five leave days.
At the other end of the year, Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day fall on Saturday and Sunday, and Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December are not automatic days off in the Republic. Plan on five leave days, 27 to 31 December, for nine days off from Christmas Day to Sunday 2 January 2028. Add 20 to 24 December and it becomes 16 days off (Saturday 18 December to Sunday 2 January) for ten leave days.
Parents: Lining Up Leave With School Holidays 2027
School breaks and public holidays are separate calendars, and they only line up some of the time. These are the national standardised school year dates; check your own school’s calendar before booking. The full 2026/2027 list is in our school holidays in Ireland guide.
| School break | Children off | Leave to cover it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas 2026 (tail end) | Until Tue 5 January; back Wed 6 January | 2 days (4 and 5 January) | 1 January is a public holiday |
| February midterm, secondary | Sat 13 to Sun 21 February | 5 days (15 to 19 February) | 9 days off together |
| February midterm, primary (standard) | Thu 18 to Sun 21 February | 2 days (18 and 19 February) | Some primaries take the full week |
| Easter | Sat 20 March to Sun 4 April | 9 days (8 if Good Friday is given) | Easter Monday is the only public holiday in it |
| October midterm 2027 | Sat 23 to Sun 31 October | 4 days (26 to 29 October) | The October bank holiday is the Monday |
| Christmas 2027 | Thu 23 December to Wed 5 January 2028 | 10 days (8 if 27 and 28 December are given) | Back to school Thu 6 January 2028 |
October 2027 is the easy win for families. The midterm runs Monday 25 to Friday 29 October, and the Monday is the October bank holiday, so four leave days cover the whole break.
Easter is the expensive one. Schools close after Friday 19 March and reopen Monday 5 April, and only Easter Monday is a public holiday inside that. Our Easter holidays Ireland 2027 guide covers the primary-school contingency rule, which can shorten the break by up to three days.
February depends on the school. A secondary pupil is off all week; a primary pupil may only be off Thursday and Friday. If you have one of each, confirm the primary school’s choice before booking anything. St Brigid’s Day (1 February) falls two weeks before midterm, so it won’t stretch it.
Summer is school-specific, so there’s no national date to plan around. The June and August bank holiday weekends are worth having in mind, but some secondary students will already have finished for the summer by June.
If Your Employer Gives Good Friday or 27 and 28 December
Some workplaces close on Good Friday, and some give 27 and 28 December as the Christmas public-holiday benefit. Neither is automatic, but if yours does, your leave goes further.
Good Friday Off
- No leave: a four-day Easter weekend, Friday 26 to Monday 29 March.
- 4 leave days, 10 days off: book 22 to 25 March (Saturday 20 to Monday 29 March) or 30 March to 2 April (Friday 26 March to Sunday 4 April).
- 6 leave days, 13 days off: book 18 and 19 March and 22 to 25 March (St Patrick’s Day to Easter Monday).
- 8 leave days, 16 days off: the full Easter school break, 22 March to 2 April minus Good Friday.
- 12 leave days, 23 days off: the full St Patrick’s Day to Easter run, 13 March to 4 April.
27 and 28 December Off
- 3 leave days, 9 days off: book 29 to 31 December (Christmas Day to Sunday 2 January 2028).
- 8 leave days, 16 days off: add 20 to 24 December (Saturday 18 December to Sunday 2 January).
- 8 leave days for the school Christmas break: 23 and 24 December, 29 to 31 December and 3 to 5 January 2028.
New Year’s Day 2028 also falls on a Saturday, so Monday 3 January 2028 isn’t an automatic day off either. Ask before you count on it.
Before You Book: Leave Rules That Matter
- Your employer decides when leave is taken. They should consult you about annual leave timing, but approval comes first. Wait for it before paying for anything non-refundable.
- A public holiday isn’t always a day off. Under section 21 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, your employer can give a paid day off on the day, a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave or an extra day’s pay.
- You can ask which one applies. Ask at least 21 days before the holiday. If your employer doesn’t answer at least 14 days before, you’re entitled to the public holiday itself as a paid day off.
- Part-time workers qualify once they’ve worked 40 hours in the five weeks before the public holiday. If you work shifts, count your break from your actual roster.
- Northern Ireland is different. Good Friday and 27 and 28 December are bank holidays there, so these counts don’t apply. See the Northern Ireland bank holidays 2027 dates.
Dates and leave counts checked in October 2026 against the official public holiday and annual leave rules for the Republic of Ireland.
Long Weekends in Ireland 2027: FAQs
What Is the Longest Break You Can Get in 2027?
Twenty-three days in a row, from Saturday 13 March to Sunday 4 April, using 13 days of annual leave. St Patrick’s Day (Wednesday 17 March) and Easter Monday (29 March) cover two weekdays. If your employer also gives Good Friday off, the same break needs 12 leave days.
Are There Any Four-Day Weekends Without Taking Leave?
Not for most Monday to Friday workers. Every public holiday in 2027 gives you three days at most on its own. The exception is Easter, if your employer closes on Good Friday: then Friday 26 to Monday 29 March is four days off without touching your allowance.
Do Public Holidays Come Out of My Annual Leave?
No. Public holiday benefit is separate from your annual leave, so the totals in this guide only count the extra working days you book. The catch is that your employer chooses the benefit, which might be a day’s pay instead of the day off. Ask in advance if a plan depends on it.
How Much Leave Do Parents Need for the Easter School Holidays?
Nine days, from Monday 22 March to Friday 2 April, with Easter Monday off as a public holiday. If your employer gives Good Friday off, it’s eight. That covers the children’s 16 days off, from Saturday 20 March to Sunday 4 April.
