In Ireland, the terms ‘bank holiday’ and ‘public holiday’ are often used interchangeably. In fact, the term ‘bank holiday’ is probably the most popular of the two, while ‘public holiday’ is often used in more formal contexts.
However, while bank holidays and public holidays often overlap, they’re not actually the same thing.
Read on to learn more about the difference between a bank holiday and a public holiday, and why it’s important for employers.
Bank holiday vs. public holiday
A bank holiday is a day when, traditionally, banks and financial institutions are closed.
A public holiday, on the other hand, is a day when all full-time employees have a legal right to a paid day off on the public holiday, a paid day off within a month of the Public Holiday, an extra day of annual leave, or an extra day’s pay.
For the most part, bank holidays and public holidays overlap. It is possible, however, to have a bank holiday on a day that is not also a public holiday. That’s why, in Ireland, Good Friday is a bank holiday but not a public holiday.
So, are employees entitled to a day off on Good Friday?
While many businesses choose to close on Good Friday, they are not obliged to. Similarly, employees are not legally entitled to any of the public holiday entitlements listed above.
This means that, unless the employer decides otherwise, Good Friday is just a normal working day!