SMALL PRINT:We owe today's national lie-ins to a 19th-century British act that established the first public holidays in Ireland, with four days set aside as days of rest.
Over the past 100 or so years, that number has risen to nine, with the last of these, May Day, added in 1993. At one point, prior to 1834, British banks recognised 33 separate saints’ days as public holidays, but a more secular and economically focused society has greatly eroded that number.
Public holidays are quite common throughout Europe, although the frequency and specific dates vary from country to country. In the recent past, there were calls for the number of bank holidays in Ireland to be increased in line with the European average, but has that opinion changed now that the banks are our least popular institutions?
Bank employee: "It used to be a day in lieu, but since our bank has been nationalised it has changed to overtime. It is inconvenient at times because everyone else is off, but if you are working with certain currencies you won't get time off. I think the number of holidays we have is more than enough. There would be uproar if we increased them and it would be seen as giving us a holiday for nothing. The public hate us enough as it is."
Irish Bank Officials' Association spokesperson: "Like many other occupations, some bank staff are required to work on public holidays. Although branches are closed to the public, banking continues through the telephone banking service offered around the clock. It is widely acknowledged that annual working hours in Ireland significantly exceeds the European average. The Irish trade union movement generally favours an increase in the number of public holidays as a means of combating this tendency towards excessive hours."
Ruari Quinn (Labour TD): "I think it would be very difficult in the current economic climate to argue for an increase in our public holidays. Having said that, there is an argument to be made for increasing public holidays by one day when the conditions are better, to bring us in line with the European average. I think the best time would be perhaps to do this during the Valentine's weekend. There is a cost to society but it is returned through an increase in tourist and other revenues."
