School holidays & public holidays in Ireland 2025-2027.

The School Holiday System in Ireland

Ireland operates a single national school calendar set by the Department of Education, covering all primary and post-primary schools across the Republic. There are no regional zones: every school in the country follows the same break schedule, making Ireland one of the simplest European systems to navigate for travel planning. The academic year is divided into three terms and includes five main holiday periods per year.

• Autumn Mid-Term Break: One week in late October, typically the last week of the month — aligned with the October Bank Holiday Monday.
• Christmas Holidays: Approximately two weeks, running from around 22 December to 6 January.
• February Mid-Term Break: One week in mid-February, often coinciding with St Brigid's Day weekend.
• Easter Holidays: Approximately two weeks around Easter Sunday, falling in March or April depending on the year.
• Summer Holidays: From early June to the end of August — the longest break at roughly 12 weeks.

In addition to school holidays, Ireland observes 10 statutory bank holidays. Most are fixed to Monday by law, creating a consistent pattern of long weekends. Note that Northern Ireland, as part of the United Kingdom, follows a separate school and bank holiday calendar — use the United Kingdom page for Northern Ireland dates. Use the Holiday Planner to overlay Ireland's calendar with neighbouring countries such as the UK or France to find the best travel windows.

Source — Department of Education, Ireland