Is Good Friday in Ireland a Bank Holiday? Opening hours for post ...

A SENATOR has called on the Government to make Good Friday a permanent public holiday for all workers.

Good Friday this week is currently not a public holiday in Ireland.

Good Friday isn't a public holiday and you're not automatically entitled to getting it offCredit: Getty Images - Getty

While some schools and businesses close on that day, you have no automatic entitlement to time off work on that day.

But Labour workers' rights spokesperson Marie Sherlock said the current situation is "deeply unfair".

She added: "There is always confusion among workers as to whether Good Friday counts as public holiday, or not.

"There are some employers who treat Good Friday as a discretionary day, however we know that the majority of workers in retail, tourism and hospitality fail to benefit from this.

“Labour is calling on Government to make Good Friday a public holiday for all workers to provide equality across the board. It’s deeply unfair that some workers benefit due to the benevolence of their employer, while others do not.

“The failure to regularise the situation points to a Government out of touch with many workers in the economy.

"Hard work deserves reward. Even if a worker is rostered to work on a public holiday, they are entitled to a benefit either by additional annual leave at another time or additional pay. So, while some businesses opt to close that day, not every worker is treated the same. We need to fix this.

"We know the benefit of public holidays to workers – with additional time to rest, relax, spend quality time with friends and family – but also the benefit to the economy as a whole.

“Extra public holidays are just one way of improving life for workers in Ireland.

"The introduction of the new public holiday in February was welcome, but we need to look at work across the economy as a whole and ensure it's fair for all."

The date of Easter moves every year and Easter Monday is the only public holiday for which the date varies significantly each year.

The new St Brigid's Day, or Imbolc, varies only slightly as it's the first Monday in February or February 1 if the date falls on a Friday.

Coming after St Patrick's Day, Easter should be the first Sunday after the full moon occurring on or after March 21.

This means the earliest possible date for Easter Sunday is March 22 and the latest is April 25.

Work entitlements

This year, Easter Monday, the bank holiday, falls on April 1.

Next year, it is April 21.

If you're rostered in to work Easter Monday, you are entitled to one of the following:

A paid day off on the public holiday An additional day of annual leave An additional day's pay A paid day off within a month of the public holiday

You can ask your employer at least 21 days before a public holiday which of the alternatives will apply and if they don't respond at least 14 days before the public holiday, you are entitled to take the actual public holiday as a paid day off.

An Post Easter 2024 opening hours

Your local post office is:

Open on Thursday, 28 March Open on Good Friday, 29 March  between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm Closed on Easter Saturday, 30 March Closed on Easter Monday, 01 April Open on Tuesday, 02 April Department of Social Protection payments

Over the Easter holidays, there will be some changes to welfare, benefit and state pension payment collections as follows:

Wednesday 27 March

Payments due for collection on Thursday 28 March may be collected from Wednesday 27 March

Thursday 28 March

Payments due for collection on Friday 29 March/Monday 01 April may be collected from Thursday 28 March.

Friday 29 March - Good Friday

Post Office open until 1pm. Payments due for collection on Friday 29 March /Monday 01 April may be collected on Friday 29 March

Saturday 30 March - Easter Saturday

No Counter Services - Post Office Closed.

Monday April 01 - Easter Monday

No Counter Services – Post Office Closed. Payments due for collection on Monday 01 April may be collected from Thursday 28 March. Mail delivery and collection

On Friday 29th March there will be full Postal delivery services in the Dublin area and towns in rural areas (as per 2023). Full postal services will resume on Tuesday 2nd April.

Banks' opening hours for Easter 2024AIBBranch & Community Bank Opening Hours Thursday 28th March 2024 – Open Friday 29th March 2024 - Closed Monday 1st April 2024 – Closed The Lab in Dundrum, Co Dublin

The Lab is open Monday - Friday 09.00 – 19.00, Saturday - Sunday 10.00 – 18.00 except:

Sunday 31st March 2024 – Closed. Self Service Lobby Opening Hours

All AIB Self-Service Lobby locations are open from 08.00 – 21.00 daily.

To find your nearest Self-Service Lobby, please click here.

Phone & Internet Banking Opening Hours Thursday 28th March 2024 – Open 09.00 to 17.00 Friday 29th March 2024 – Open 09.00 to 17.00 Saturday 30th March 2024 – Open 09.00 to 17.00 Sunday 31st March 2024 - Open 09.00 to 17.00 Monday 1st April 2024 - Open 09.00 to 17.00 Social Media Channels Opening Hours Thursday 28th March 2024 – Open 09.00 to 20.00 Friday 29th March 2024 – Open 09.00 to 17.00 Saturday 30th March 2024 – Open 09.00 to 17.00 Sunday 31st March 2024 - Closed Monday 1st April 2024 - Open 09.00 to 17.00 iBusiness Banking Opening Hours Thursday 28th March 2024 – Open 09.00 to 17.00 Friday 29th March 2024 – Closed Saturday 30th March 2024 – Closed Sunday 31st March 2024 - Closed Monday 1st April 2024 – Closed EBS Service and Direct Credit Support Team Thursday 28th March 2024 – Open 09.00 to 17.00 Friday 29th March 2024 – Closed Saturday 30th March 2024 – Closed Sunday 31st March 2024 - Closed Monday 1st April 2024 – Closed Card Services Opening Hours (Lost & Stolen Lines (Option 1)) Thursday 28th March 2024 – Open 24hrs Friday 29th March 2024 – Open 24hrs Saturday 30th March 2024 – Open 24hrs Sunday 31st March 2024 - Open 24hrs Monday 1st April 2024 - Open 24hrs Card Services Opening Hours (Secure Customer Authentication (SCA) / Online Shopping (Option 2)) Thursday 28th March 2024 – Open 08.00 to 18.00 Friday 29th March 2024 – Open 08.00 to 18.00 Saturday 30th March 2024 – Open 08.00 to 18.00 Sunday 31st March 2024 - Open 08.00 to 18.00 Monday 1st April 2024 - Open 08.00 to 18.00 Card Services Opening Hours (All other queries (Option 4)) Thursday 28th March 2024 – Open 09.00 to 17.00 Friday 29th March 2024 – Open 09.00 to 17.00 Saturday 30th March 2024 – Closed Sunday 31st March 2024 - Closed Monday 1st April 2024 – Closed Personal Sales, Business Sales & Credit Support Unit (CSU) Opening Hours Thursday 28th March 2024 – Open 09.00 to 17.00 Friday 29th March 2024 – Closed Saturday 30th March 2024 – Closed Sunday 31st March 2024 - Closed Monday 1st April 2024 - Closed Bank of Ireland

Bank of Ireland posted on social media that its branches will be closed on Friday and Monday, but the social media team will be able to assist on digital channels 8am-8pm, seven days a week.

The Customer Contact Service Centre is open Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 10am-2pm and Bank Holiday Monday 9am-5pm.

Online banking is available 24/7, as is the reporting service for fraud and lost or stolen cards.

Permanent TSB

PTSB said on social media that its branches will be closed on Friday, March 29 until Tuesday, April 2.

This also includes its social media team.

Opening hours on Tuesday are 9am-5pm, while the social media team will be there to help until 8pm.

PTSB adds on its site: "Please be advised that over the Easter period payments will be processed as follows: Payments sent on Good Friday 29th March 2024 to Easter Monday 01st April 2024 will be processed on the Tuesday 02nd April 2024. This is due to the Euro clearing and settlement system being closed.

"If you are a Personal Customer with PTSB, please ensure your account is sufficiently funded to cover all payments (such as Direct Debits / Standing Orders) over this period, as payment due dates may vary due to these public holidays.

"If you are a Business Customer with PTSB, please ensure payments are submitted early to avoid any potential delays. It is a good practice to submit payments early such as salaries with a due date on or before Wednesday 27th March 2024, to ensure these are processed prior to the Easter period."