The government is reportedly planning to set St. Brigid’s Day as Ireland’s newest public holiday.
The new bank holiday is part of a bonus scheme for frontline workers and all citizens for their efforts during the pandemic.
St. Brigid’s Day is traditionally held on 1 February to mark the beginning of spring. The new bank holiday will fall on the nearest Monday to 1st February, according to the Sunday Times.
While the date is yet to be officially confirmed, there has been much speculation over whether the holiday would be set before or after Christmas. Other dates up for consideration were Thanksgiving.
A petition to make St. Brigid’s Day a national holiday has so far gathered over 15,000 signatures.
The last time Ireland allocated a public holiday was in 1993, to honour May Day.