Bank holidays in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's dates, three years

Where the two extra days come from

Schedule 1 to the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 has a separate paragraph for Northern Ireland. It lists the days shared with England and Wales and adds 17 March. The Battle of the Boyne holiday is not in the Schedule: it is appointed each year by proclamation, which is why the proclamation for 2027 names Monday, 12 July 2027 for Northern Ireland separately from the dates it sets for the whole of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In practice it has been appointed every year for decades, and the rule this site applies, 12 July or the next weekday, reproduces every year of the official list.

nidirect, the Northern Ireland government's information site, publishes the same dates as GOV.UK and reminds readers that employers decide whether staff get the days off.

St Patrick's Day across the border

Northern Ireland and Ireland both keep 17 March, but the rules for weekends differ. In Northern Ireland, a St Patrick's Day on a Saturday or Sunday moves to the next weekday by the normal substitute procedure; Ireland has its own rules for public holidays at a weekend. Easter Monday, the May holidays and the August holiday are on different dates in the two jurisdictions. Ireland's calendar is not covered by this site.

Planning around July

For many households in Northern Ireland, July matters more than any other month. The Twelfth and the days around it are when many factories and offices close, and some schools and councils plan around them. With the Twelfth on a Monday in 2027, a week of leave from Tuesday 13 to Friday 16 July gives nine days off for four days of leave. The simulator under the summary shows St Patrick's Day and the Twelfth for any year to 2035, and the substitute days page explains what happens when either falls at a weekend. The bank holiday pay page covers whether the days are paid.

For businesses that trade across the UK, the two extra days mean that Northern Ireland has fewer working days in March and July than the rest of the country. The working days calculator lets you choose Northern Ireland so that delivery dates and notice periods take both days into account.