Taoiseach runs shy of confirming St Brigid’s Day as new bank holiday

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has declined to confirm reports that the Monday closest to St Brigid’s Day, February 1st, has been chosen as a new national holiday.

Mr Martin said “it remains to be seen how Government will decide ultimately on that matter, along with other matters in that context”.

The Taoiseach was wearing a St Brigid’s cross emblem on his jacket as he attended the Fianna Fáil annual Wolfe Tone commemoration at Bodenstown in Co Kildare.

Asked if that was confirmation that the proposed extra bank holiday would be around St Brigid’s Day, Mr Martin said it was confirmation of the “very persistent and consistent advocacy” by Kildare FF Senator Fiona O’Loughlin for February 1st as the next bank holiday.

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An extra national holiday, to add to the nine current bank holidays, has been promoted for several months as one of a range of options for a pandemic bonus in acknowledgement of sacrifices rendered since the onset of Covid-19.

No agreement has been reached on monetary reward for frontline workers who risked most during the pandemic but a new bank holiday is seen as the most concrete option.

Appeals have been made for the Government to consider as a bank holiday July 12th, a national holiday in the North that commemorates King William of Orange’s victory at the Battle of the Boyne.

Asked if July 12th was an option, Mr Martin replied: “Look there’s various proposals have come forward.”

‘Dealing with the pandemic’

He said the Government and Leaf (Labour Employer Economic Forum) discussed the issue “only this week in terms of how to properly to recognise people who made an outstanding contribution to the country’s efforts in dealing with the pandemic”.

He said “those discussions will continue”.

There have also been calls for a bank holiday close to Thanksgiving in the US on the fourth Thursday in November, as a potential boost for the tourism and hospitality sectors.

The Sunday Times reported that the Monday closest to February 1st has been chosen as the date for the new bank holiday in the wake of consensus among employers and unions at the Leaf forum.