{"id":2883,"date":"2026-02-06T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/?p=2883"},"modified":"2026-02-06T21:00:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T21:00:08","slug":"february-6th-new-irish-bank-holiday-for-st-bridget-imbolc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chr.org.uk\/anddidthosefeet\/february-6th-new-irish-bank-holiday-for-st-bridget-imbolc\/","title":{"rendered":"New Irish Bank Holiday for St Bridget\/Imbolc! Ist Monday in February"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Celtic Year showing Imbolc, the new Irish Bank Holiday<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I just came across this which I published last in 2023. I should have republished it last weekend. But here it is. The Irish created a brand new Bank Holiday for St Bridget. The first one was Monday 6th February 2023. It followed a public holiday given in 2022 for Health Workers in March. The timing of the Bank Holiday is explained by the Irish Post<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St Brigid\u2019s Day itself falls on February 1 each year but going forward the Imbolc\/St Brigid\u2019s Day public holiday will fall on the first Monday in February, unless February 1st<\/sup> falls on a Friday<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that Ireland now has a public holiday on the 4 Celtic festivals of Samain (Halloween), Imbolc (St Bridget’s Day), Beltane (May Day) and Lughnasa (Lammas Day). These festivals are quarter-days, which mean they fall halfway between the Solstices and Equinoxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Independent wrote that ‘then-T\u00e1naiste, Leo Varadkar, said<\/a>‘ ….“This will be the first Irish public holiday named after a woman.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 He also is quoted as saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt marks the half-way point between the winter solstice and the equinox, the beginning of spring and the Celtic New Year.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extra Bank Holidays in the UK?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are occasional calls for a new Bank Holiday in the UK. It’s often a Conservative MP calling for a National Day for the British. More often than not they suggest Trafalgar Day 21st October would be a suitable date. This commemorates the great Naval battle in 1805 in which Nelson was fatally wounded. It has several virtues in their eyes. Firstly, it is a day that confirmed Britain’s mastery of the Seas , an ideal day for celebrating patriotism. Secondly, it is the school half-term, and gives a much-needed day off between summer and Christmas. Thirdly, they can propose the day should be taken from the May Day Bank holiday. This coincides with the International Worker’s Day, which is obviously ‘a bad thing’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is an example: the MP for Portsmouth MP’s supported a call for Trafalgar Day here:<\/a> . The report says: ‘there are currently no bank holidays in the UK which celebrate battles or war victories’<\/em>. (Portsmouth News 2016).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, I think, leaves the rest of us thinking: ‘What planet do these people live on?’ Yes, Trafalgar Day would have been a great day for a Bank Holiday, if this were 1839. Maybe even 1939. But now Trafalgar is just not on any ordinary person’s radar. We don’t think so very much about the Napoleonic War or Nelson. Nor do we often sing ‘Heart of Oaks, are our Men’ any more. In short, it is a reminder how distant from the rest of us some MPs are. By contrast, how progressive Ireland seems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Productivity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Trade Union Congress proposed the need for more bank holiday<\/a>s. We only have the usual eight annual bank holidays for workers in England and Wales. Scotland has nine or ten; the average for the EU is ‘12.3 bank holidays a year. Finland and Romania get 15, while workers in Japan have 16 public holidays in total’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A radio programme ‘The Bottom Line’ compared productivity in Britain and France. It revealed that Britain is now 20% less productive than France, (10% worse since Brexit). And how do we make up that productivity deficit? Yes, indeed, by working longer hours for lower wages. It appears that the French high tax, high workers’ protection regime, means they have to find ways of getting more out of their workers in their working hours. While we can just hire and fire, and are happy to make people work in a more inefficient way. Strange isn’t we are told that the French economy is a victim of socialism. Turns out Socialism is more productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is my recent post about St Bridget’s Day<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Festival of Imbolc, St. Bridget’s Day February 1st<\/a><\/blockquote>