How to maximise annual leave from work in 2024 including 16 days off next Christmas

For a lot of workers in Ireland, this week brought about a return to normality and the desk after the Christmas period.

While not everyone enjoys a long Christmas break or the luxury of weekends off, most office workers do and carefully plotting their way around bank holidays in 2024, they could carve out some nice chunks of time off this year.

Cassidy Travel posted some tips to people potentially booking holidays on how they can maximise their annual leave in 2024, including 16 days off after St Patrick's Day and around Christmas. 

See their list below:

February 6, 7, 8, 9 = 4 days leave, 9 days off
March 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28 = 8 days leave, 16 days off.
May 7, 8, 9, 10 = 4 days leave, 9 days off
June 4, 5, 6, 7 = 4 days leave, 9 days off.
August 6, 7, 8, 9 = 4 days leave, 9 days off.
October 29, 30, 31 & November 1 = 4 days leave, 9 days off.
December 23, 24, 27, 30, 31 & Jan 2, 3 = 7 days leave, 16 days off

There are 10 bank holidays a year, thanks to the latest St Brigid’s Day introduced in February 2023. 

Contrary to popular belief, Good Friday is actually not a bank holiday. While some businesses and schools close, workers are not entitled to time off that day.

The following are the bank holidays in 2024:

St Brigid's Day, Monday, February 5

St Patrick’s Day bank holiday, Monday, March 18 

Easter is early this year, as it falls on Monday, April 1

May bank holiday, Monday, May 6

June bank holiday, Monday, June 3

August bank holiday, Monday, August 5 

Halloween bank holiday, Monday, October 28 

Christmas and St Stephen’s Day, Wednesday, December 25 & Thursday, December 26

If you work for your employer for at least 40 hours in the five weeks before the public holiday, and it falls on a day you normally work, you get paid for the bank holiday day, even if you don’t work. 

If you have to work that day, you are entitled to an extra day's pay.

If you don’t normally work on a certain day but it’s a public holiday, you should get paid one-fifth of your weekly pay.