The June Bank Holiday in Ireland was established in 1973 to give people a summer holiday weekend. Today, it is celebrated with sports, festivals, travel and outdoor activities, marking the true start of the Irish summer season.

When is June Bank Holiday?

June Bank Holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of June.

The following is the list of June Bank Holiday from 2020 to 2049.

The History of June Bank Holiday?

The June Bank Holiday is one of Ireland's more modern public holidays. It was first established in 1973 by the Irish government. Its purpose was to provide a designated summer holiday weekend for workers and families.

Before 1973, Ireland's older public holidays were mainly linked to religious feast days (e.g., St. Patrick's Day, St. Stephen's Day) or ancient seasonal traditions (e.g., May Day/Bealtaine).

The June holiday was created to give people a break at the start of summer, align Ireland more closely with UK and European bank holiday practices, where summer long weekends were already common, and support tourism, sports and festivals, especially as June is the beginning of Ireland's busiest outdoor season.

Since its introduction, the June Bank Holiday has become strongly associated with sports, festivals and community events. Unlike older holidays, it does not carry a religious or nationalist meaning, it is purely a civic and leisure holiday.