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Public holidays in Ireland 2026 – plus 999 and 112, cash rounding, pub hours and the tobacco-21 law

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Ten public holidays, two emergency numbers that both work, cash bills rounded to 5 cent and a pub clock set by law. This is everyday Ireland in 2026 – plus the dates when the tobacco age rises to 21 and the alcohol labels change.

Smiling woman in a knitted hat turning to the camera on a busy city street at dusk
Photo: photographmd/Adobe Stock

Ireland uses the euro, sits outside the Schengen Area, has 10 public holidays a year and answers two emergency numbers that both work. Beyond that, everyday life has its own calendar and its own rules on cash, drink and tobacco – and two of them change on set dates: the tobacco age rises from 18 to 21 on 1 February 2028, and health warnings on alcohol labels arrive on 3 September 2028.

Which are the public holidays in Ireland in 2026 and 2027?

Ireland has 10 public holidays a year, up from 9 in 2022; the newest, St Brigid's Day, falls since 2023 on the first Monday in February, or on Friday 1 February when that date is a Friday. Good Friday is not a public holiday. On a public holiday – often called a bank holiday – most businesses and schools close and public transport runs a reduced service.

Holiday20262027
January1 January1 January
St Brigid's Day2 February1 February
St Patrick's Day17 March17 March
Easter Monday6 April29 March
May4 May3 May
June1 June7 June
August3 August2 August
October26 October25 October
December25 December25 December
December26 December26 December

Source: Citizens Information, read 24 September 2026.

An employee who qualifies gets a paid day off on the holiday, an extra day of annual leave, an extra day's pay, or a paid day off within a month; part-time workers qualify after 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks. A holiday on a weekend still earns the benefit, but there is no automatic right to the next working day off.

999 or 112: the emergency numbers in Ireland

Dial 999 or 112 for Garda (police), ambulance, fire or coast guard; both are free, both have the same priority, and 112 works in every EU country. People who cannot make a voice call can text 112 after registering for the SMS service. An Garda Síochána aims to answer 80 per cent of 999 calls within 7 seconds and to arrive within 15 minutes in urban areas. Public emergency ambulances are free, and the Health Service Executive (HSE) runs the public hospitals – part 8 covers the medical card.

SituationWhereCost
Life at risk999 or 112Free
Non-emergency police matterYour local Garda stationFree
Reporting crime confidentiallyGarda Confidential Line 1800 666 111Free
Emergency department without a GP referralAny ED, open 24 hours a day€100, once per illness or accident
Minor injuriesAn injury unit€75; free with a medical card or GP referral
A GP at night or at the weekendThe out-of-hours service, by appointment onlyFree with a medical card or GP visit card; otherwise a fee

Source: An Garda Síochána, the HSE and Citizens Information, read 24 September 2026.

Cash, cards and rounding: how you pay in Ireland

Cards and phone tapping are common, but cash still matters. Since 28 October 2015 the total of a cash bill is rounded to the nearest 5 cent; 1c and 2c coins remain legal tender, rounding is voluntary, and it never applies to card payments. The Access to Cash Act commenced on 30 June 2025 and its criteria orders took effect on 28 November 2025: ATM and cash-service coverage must be kept at December 2022 levels in each region, with AIB, Bank of Ireland and PTSB as designated entities supervised by the Central Bank. Public bodies charging fees or fines must accept or facilitate cash; shops cannot be forced to.

Two everyday consequences. On Dublin Bus a cash fare must be paid in exact coins, so get a TFI Leap Card: the €2.00 90-minute fare covers city bus, Luas and rail in Dublin (part 12). And a basic bank account, free for everyday banking for at least the first year, is open to anyone legally resident in the EU (part 4).

Alcohol in Ireland: pub hours, minimum pricing and the age card

You must be 18 to buy alcohol. Serving or buying it for an under-18 carries a fine of up to €5,000 for the seller, and pretending to be 18 up to €500 for the young person. Since 4 January 2022 minimum unit pricing has set a floor of 10c per gram of alcohol – at least €1 per standard drink – and happy hours, loyalty rewards for alcohol and price promotions shorter than 3 days are illegal.

WhereMonday to ThursdayFriday and SaturdaySunday
Pubs10:30am–11:30pm10:30am–12:30am12:30pm–11:00pm
Off-licences and supermarkets10:30am–10:00pm10:30am–10:00pm12:30pm–10:00pm, and the same on St Patrick's Day

Source: Citizens Information, read 24 September 2026.

A Special Exemption Order lets a venue serve until 2:30am. Drinking outdoors is not banned nationally, but many city and county councils have bye-laws forbidding it in some or all public places, so check your council's rules. Children under 15 may be in a pub only under supervision and only between 10:30am and 9pm (10pm from May to September). The voluntary Garda Age Card costs €10, is authenticated at a Garda station within 3 months with your birth certificate, passport or Irish Residence Permit (IRP) plus another form of identification and a photo, and arrives within 10 working days; it proves you are 18 or over but is not an identity card.

Smoking, vaping and the tobacco-21 law

In autumn 2026 the minimum age to be sold tobacco is still 18. The Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Act 2024 raises it to 21, but comes into operation only on 1 February 2028, with a lead-in so that people already aged 18 to 20 are not affected. Selling nicotine inhaling products to under-18s has been an offence since 22 December 2023, with a fine of up to €4,000, up to six months in prison, or both; the 21 limit will not apply to vapes.

ProductMinimum age in 2026What changes
Cigarettes and other tobacco1821 from 1 February 2028
Vapes and nicotine inhaling products18, since 22 December 2023No change under the 2024 Act
Alcohol18Labels with a health warning, calories and grams of alcohol from 3 September 2028

Source: the Irish Statute Book, the Department of Health and Citizens Information, read 24 September 2026.

Smoking is banned in every enclosed workplace and public place, including the common areas of apartment blocks and hotels, with exemptions for hotel bedrooms, prisons and nursing homes; a breach carries a Class B fine. Vaping is not covered. Budget 2026 added 50 cent of excise to a packet of 20 cigarettes from 8 October 2025.

Small things that save you time

TopicWhat applies
Country code and time+353; Greenwich Mean Time in winter, one hour ahead in summer
PostcodeA seven-character Eircode for every address since July 2015, for example A65 F4E2
Your IRPNot an identity card, but proof of lawful residence: carry it, and you need the valid card to re-enter Ireland
TravelIreland is outside Schengen and does not take part in the EU Entry/Exit System; an IRP gives no right to live in other EU countries
VotingNon-EU citizens vote in local elections whatever their permission; register at least 15 days before polling day
Free travelOver-66s living permanently in Ireland travel free on public bus and rail, with a Free Travel Public Services Card since 1 March 2026

Source: the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Immigration Service Delivery and Citizens Information, read 24 September 2026.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Save 999 and 112, and register for the 112 SMS service if you need itNow
2Put the 10 public holidays in your calendar and ask your employer how they are paidIn your first week
3Get a Leap card and a basic bank account so that cash is a choice, not a needIn your first weeks
4Apply for a Garda Age Card if you are likely to be asked for proof of ageOnce you have your passport or IRP

Source: An Garda Síochána and Citizens Information, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.