What is October Bank Holiday?
The October Bank Holiday is an Irish public holiday on the last Monday of October. It is a secular holiday that falls in the autumn midterm break of many schools, so many families use it for short trips, visits to relatives or Halloween events. Halloween, on 31 October, is the eve of Samhain, the ancient Gaelic festival on 1 November that marked the end of the harvest, and the Irish holiday sits close to it.
The Dublin Marathon is held on the last Sunday of October, so the long weekend is among the best-known weekends for running events in Ireland, with thousands of runners and large crowds along the route. Halloween events, which are especially popular in Ireland, are often timed to the long weekend. Traditions include bonfires, costumes and barmbrack, a fruit bread baked with small items inside that are said to predict the future.
Why it is observed
The holiday was introduced in 1977, by the Holidays (Employees) Act 1973 (Public Holiday) Regulations 1977, which added the last Monday in October to the Irish list of public holidays. The date falls around Halloween and the start of the school midterm break, which has made it a popular time for short trips. It is the youngest of the Irish Monday holidays apart from the first Monday of May, which followed in 1994, and it has no equivalent in Great Britain, where the next bank holiday after the late August one is Christmas Day.
How the date is set
The October Bank Holiday in Ireland is the last Monday in October, so it falls between 25 and 31 October. It is not observed in the rest of the United Kingdom.
How it is observed
The October Bank Holiday is a public holiday in Ireland. Banks, public offices and schools are closed, and the school midterm break usually runs for the whole week, so travel and accommodation can be busy. Public transport runs on a holiday timetable, and many shops, restaurants and attractions remain open. In Northern Ireland the date is a normal working day. Entitlements to pay or time off depend on Irish public holiday law, the employer and the contract.
Sources
Ireland