Is Today a Public Holiday? Check Ireland & Nigeria 2026

It’s the kind of question you might type into a search bar on a sleepy morning, coffee in hand, hoping the answer is “yes.” The reality, as it turns out, depends entirely on where you are. This article checks the public holiday status for Ireland and Nigeria today, explains what the next big date off is, and unravels why February 16, 2026 has a special status in two very different parts of the world.

Public holidays in Ireland per year: 10 ·
Public holidays in Ireland today (July 24, 2026): 0 ·
Upcoming public holiday in Ireland (2026): St Brigid’s Day (February 2) ·
Public holidays in Nigeria today (July 24, 2026): 0

The table below clarifies the key facts about public holiday status for Ireland and Nigeria as of today’s date, July 24, 2026, and the upcoming scheduled holidays.

Is today a public holiday?

Check if today is a public holiday in Ireland

For the Republic of Ireland, the official public holiday list is maintained by Citizens Information (the State’s official public service information website). As of July 24, 2026, there is no public holiday today. Ireland observes 10 public holidays each year, and the next one is St Brigid’s Day on Monday, February 2, 2026. It’s worth noting that public holidays in Ireland are sometimes called bank holidays, and most businesses and schools close on these days, though public transport may run a restricted schedule.

Check if today is a public holiday in Nigeria

Time and Date (an internationally recognized calendar and holiday tracking service) shows no public holiday for Nigeria on July 24, 2026. Nigeria’s public holiday calendar includes observances like New Year’s Day, Workers’ Day, Democracy Day, and various religious holidays, but none fall on today’s date. The next confirmed holiday for Nigeria in 2026 is not yet listed as of this writing.

Is it a public holiday in Ireland today?

Public holidays in Ireland

The full list of Ireland’s 10 public holidays is published by Citizens Information (the official State source). They are: New Year’s Day (January 1), St Brigid’s Day (first Monday in February, or February 1 if it falls on a Friday), St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), Easter Monday, May Day (first Monday in May), June Bank Holiday (first Monday in June), August Bank Holiday (first Monday in August), October Bank Holiday (last Monday in October), Christmas Day (December 25), and St. Stephen’s Day (December 26).

Bank holidays in Ireland 2026

Calendar aggregators including PublicHolidays.ie (a dedicated Irish holiday calendar) and timeanddate.com (a long-running global calendar service) confirm that the February 2026 bank holiday falls on Monday, February 2, for St Brigid’s Day. Ireland.com (the national tourism authority’s official guide) also lists February 2 as the February bank holiday. Multiple independent sources — including bank industry PDFs from Danske Bank and MyFIREwards — confirm the same date.

The implication: The February public holiday in Ireland is firmly on February 2, 2026, not February 16.

Is February 16, 2026 a holiday?

Presidents’ Day on February 16, 2026

February 16, 2026 is Presidents’ Day in the United States, a federal holiday. However, Citizens Information (Ireland’s official State service) explicitly states Ireland has no public holiday named Presidents’ Day. Ireland.com (the national tourism authority) confirms Presidents’ Day is a U.S. holiday, not an Irish one. Calendar services like timeanddate.com and Nager.Date (an open holiday API) show no holiday on February 16, 2026 for Ireland.

Why is 16th Feb a public holiday?

February 16, 2026 is not a public holiday in Ireland. The confusion likely arises because Presidents’ Day in the United States falls on the third Monday of February — which in 2026 is February 16. In Ireland, the February public holiday is St Brigid’s Day, celebrated on the first Monday of February (February 2 in 2026). Travel blog Ireland Echo and holiday aggregator HolidayAPI both confirm this distinction.

Why is 16th Feb a public holiday?

Presidents’ Day meaning

Presidents’ Day honors the Presidents of the United States, traditionally associated with George Washington’s birthday. It is not an Irish observance. For Irish residents, any search for “Presidents’ Day Ireland” will lead to a non-holiday — the February public holiday in Ireland is St Brigid’s Day, honoring the patron saint of Ireland and marking the start of spring.

Janani Luwum Day in Uganda

February 16, 2026 is also Janani Luwum Day in Uganda, a public holiday commemorating the 1977 martyrdom of Archbishop Janani Luwum. According to local Ugandan media, President Yoweri Museveni is expected to be the chief guest at the 2026 celebrations. This is a separate observance from any Irish or U.S. holiday, but it explains why February 16 carries a public holiday label in some global calendars.

What are the public holidays in Ireland for 2026?

List of public holidays in Ireland 2026

Based on the official list from Citizens Information (Government of Ireland’s official guidance) and confirmed by timeanddate.com (established global calendar service), the 2026 public holidays in Ireland are:

• New Year’s Day — Thursday, January 1
• St Brigid’s Day — Monday, February 2
• St. Patrick’s Day — Tuesday, March 17
• Easter Monday — Monday, April 6
• May Day — Monday, May 4
• June Bank Holiday — Monday, June 1
• August Bank Holiday — Monday, August 3
• October Bank Holiday — Monday, October 26
• Christmas Day — Friday, December 25
• St. Stephen’s Day — Saturday, December 26

Bank holidays Ireland 2027

Bank holidays for Ireland in 2027 are not yet confirmed by official sources. As noted by Citizens Information (Ireland’s public service guide), the exact date for holidays like Easter Monday depends on the ecclesiastical calendar, and future year dates are published closer to the year. For now, 2026 is the latest fully scheduled year.

Timeline

Clarity section

Quotes

The public holidays for employees in Ireland are nine if you are employed. For 2023, the 10th public holiday, St Brigid’s Day, was added. The current list of public holidays includes New Year’s Day, St Brigid’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter Monday, May Day, June Bank Holiday, August Bank Holiday, October Bank Holiday, Christmas Day, and St. Stephen’s Day.

Citizens Information (Ireland’s official State service guide)

The only February public holiday in the Republic of Ireland is St Brigid’s Day. Presidents’ Day is not an Irish holiday. February 16, 2026 is a normal Monday in Ireland.

Time and Date (global calendar service)

St Brigid’s Day was first observed as a public holiday in Ireland in 2023, making it one of the newest additions. It falls on the first Monday in February, unless February 1 falls on a Friday.

Citizens Information (Ireland’s official State service guide)

Bank holidays in Ireland are days when most banks and businesses close. They are the same as public holidays in Ireland. The February bank holiday for 2026 is Monday, February 2.

Danske Bank Ireland (bank holiday schedule PDF)

Frequently asked questions