What is June Bank Holiday?
The June Bank Holiday is an Irish public holiday on the first Monday of June. It is a secular holiday with no religious or national theme, and for many people it is the first long weekend of the summer and a popular time to travel within Ireland or to the coast. It is also known as the June Holiday.
Early June is a busy time in the Irish summer calendar, with music festivals, sporting fixtures and horse racing meetings over the weekend, and the first barbecues, camping trips and family outings of the year. Sunset in Ireland falls close to ten o'clock around the summer solstice, so evenings are very long. Many seasonal attractions, ferries and heritage sites move to their full summer timetables around this date.
Why it is observed
The holiday was first observed in 1973, when the Holidays (Employees) Act 1973 replaced the Whit Monday holiday, which moves with Easter, with a fixed date: the first Monday of June. Whit Monday had been one of the original Irish bank holidays created by the Bank Holidays Act 1871. Ireland now also has public holidays on the first Monday of May and August and the last Monday of October, in addition to the holidays on fixed dates.
How the date is set
The June Bank Holiday in Ireland is the first Monday in June, so it falls between 1 and 7 June.
How it is observed
The June Bank Holiday is a public holiday in Ireland. Banks, public offices and schools are closed, and public transport runs on a holiday timetable, though many shops, restaurants and attractions are open. Roads and trains to coastal areas can be busy, and accommodation books early. In the United Kingdom the nearby Spring Bank Holiday falls on the last Monday of May instead, so there is no matching holiday in Northern Ireland. Entitlements to pay or time off depend on Irish public holiday law, the employer and the contract.
Sources
Ireland