Bridge days in Ireland 2026 and 2027

Workdays that, taken as leave, join a Irish public holiday to a weekend or to another holiday. Each option uses 1 to 4 leave days and is ranked by days off per leave day.

What this counts

Nationwide public holidays of Ireland only, and a Monday to Friday working week. Regional and local holidays are not included. The holiday list is on the Ireland public holidays page.

Ireland bridge days 2026

12 options in 2026, best value first.

Best value

Take 1 day (Fri 2 Jan 2026) for at least 4 days off in a row, around Lá Caille.
Take 1 day (Mon 16 Mar 2026) for 4 days off in a row, around Lá Fhéile Pádraig.
Take 4 days (Mon 28 Dec to Thu 31 Dec 2026) for 10 days off in a row, around Lá Nollag, Lá Fhéile Stiofáin and Lá Caille.

Every bridge in 2026

Bridge days in Ireland in 2026, best value first
Leave to take	Days off in a row	Public holidays	Days off per leave day
1 day Fri 2 Jan 2026	At least 4 Thu 1 Jan to Sun 4 Jan 2026	Lá Caille (Thu 1 Jan)	4
1 day Mon 16 Mar 2026	4 Sat 14 Mar to Tue 17 Mar 2026	Lá Fhéile Pádraig (Tue 17 Mar)	4
4 days Mon 28 Dec to Thu 31 Dec 2026	10 Fri 25 Dec 2026 to Sun 3 Jan 2027	Lá Nollag (Fri 25 Dec), Lá Fhéile Stiofáin (Sat 26 Dec), Lá Caille (Fri 1 Jan)	2.5
4 days Tue 3 Feb to Fri 6 Feb 2026	9 Sat 31 Jan to Sun 8 Feb 2026	Lá Fhéile Bríde (Mon 2 Feb)	2.25
4 days Mon 16 Mar and Wed 18 Mar to Fri 20 Mar 2026	9 Sat 14 Mar to Sun 22 Mar 2026	Lá Fhéile Pádraig (Tue 17 Mar)	2.25
4 days Tue 7 Apr to Fri 10 Apr 2026	9 Sat 4 Apr to Sun 12 Apr 2026	Luan Cásca (Mon 6 Apr)	2.25
4 days Tue 5 May to Fri 8 May 2026	9 Sat 2 May to Sun 10 May 2026	Lá Bealtaine (Mon 4 May)	2.25
4 days Tue 2 Jun to Fri 5 Jun 2026	9 Sat 30 May to Sun 7 Jun 2026	Lá Saoire i mí an Mheithimh (Mon 1 Jun)	2.25
4 days Tue 4 Aug to Fri 7 Aug 2026	9 Sat 1 Aug to Sun 9 Aug 2026	Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa (Mon 3 Aug)	2.25
4 days Tue 27 Oct to Fri 30 Oct 2026	9 Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov 2026	Lá Saoire i mí Dheireadh Fómhair (Mon 26 Oct)	2.25
4 days Mon 21 Dec to Thu 24 Dec 2026	9 Sat 19 Dec to Sun 27 Dec 2026	Lá Nollag (Fri 25 Dec), Lá Fhéile Stiofáin (Sat 26 Dec)	2.25
3 days Wed 18 Mar to Fri 20 Mar 2026	6 Tue 17 Mar to Sun 22 Mar 2026	Lá Fhéile Pádraig (Tue 17 Mar)	2

"At least": the break reaches a date outside the years we hold holidays for, so it may be longer.

Ireland bridge days 2027

9 options in 2027, best value first.

Best value

Take 2 days (Mon 15 Mar to Tue 16 Mar 2027) for 5 days off in a row, around Lá Fhéile Pádraig.
Take 2 days (Thu 18 Mar to Fri 19 Mar 2027) for 5 days off in a row, around Lá Fhéile Pádraig.
Take 4 days (Tue 2 Feb to Fri 5 Feb 2027) for 9 days off in a row, around Lá Fhéile Bríde.

Every bridge in 2027

Bridge days in Ireland in 2027, best value first
Leave to take	Days off in a row	Public holidays	Days off per leave day
2 days Mon 15 Mar to Tue 16 Mar 2027	5 Sat 13 Mar to Wed 17 Mar 2027	Lá Fhéile Pádraig (Wed 17 Mar)	2.5
2 days Thu 18 Mar to Fri 19 Mar 2027	5 Wed 17 Mar to Sun 21 Mar 2027	Lá Fhéile Pádraig (Wed 17 Mar)	2.5
4 days Tue 2 Feb to Fri 5 Feb 2027	9 Sat 30 Jan to Sun 7 Feb 2027	Lá Fhéile Bríde (Mon 1 Feb)	2.25
4 days Mon 15 Mar to Tue 16 Mar and Thu 18 Mar to Fri 19 Mar 2027	9 Sat 13 Mar to Sun 21 Mar 2027	Lá Fhéile Pádraig (Wed 17 Mar)	2.25
4 days Tue 30 Mar to Fri 2 Apr 2027	9 Sat 27 Mar to Sun 4 Apr 2027	Luan Cásca (Mon 29 Mar)	2.25
4 days Tue 4 May to Fri 7 May 2027	9 Sat 1 May to Sun 9 May 2027	Lá Bealtaine (Mon 3 May)	2.25
4 days Tue 8 Jun to Fri 11 Jun 2027	9 Sat 5 Jun to Sun 13 Jun 2027	Lá Saoire i mí an Mheithimh (Mon 7 Jun)	2.25
4 days Tue 3 Aug to Fri 6 Aug 2027	9 Sat 31 Jul to Sun 8 Aug 2027	Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa (Mon 2 Aug)	2.25
4 days Tue 26 Oct to Fri 29 Oct 2027	9 Sat 23 Oct to Sun 31 Oct 2027	Lá Saoire i mí Dheireadh Fómhair (Mon 25 Oct)	2.25

How the days are found

A leave day is a Monday to Friday that is not a public holiday.
A bridge is 1 to 4 leave days that fill the whole gap between two runs of days off, at least one of which includes a public holiday on a weekday. Taking the Friday before a Monday holiday only lengthens a long weekend, so it is not listed.
Days off in a row counts every calendar day from the first day off to the last, weekends included. A bridge across New Year uses the next year's holidays.
Best value first: most days off per leave day, then the longer break, then the earlier date.
"At least" marks a break that reaches a date outside the years we hold holidays for. It may be longer.

Your contract, collective agreement or company calendar may give you more days off, or fewer. Check those before you book.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best bridge day in Ireland in 2026?

Take 1 day (Fri 2 Jan 2026) for at least 4 days off in a row, around Lá Caille. That is the best ratio of days off to leave days in 2026 on this page.

What is the best bridge day in Ireland in 2027?

Take 2 days (Mon 15 Mar to Tue 16 Mar 2027) for 5 days off in a row, around Lá Fhéile Pádraig. That is the best ratio of days off to leave days in 2027 on this page.

Which holidays and working days does this use?

The nationwide public holidays of Ireland for 2026 and 2027, the same list as our Ireland public holidays page, and a Monday to Friday working week. Regional and local holidays are not included.

Can SquadBear count Irish public holidays in leave requests?

Yes. When an admin adds a Ireland holiday calendar, SquadBear prefills these nationwide holidays, and leave counted in working days (the default) skips them. Admins can add regional or company days to the calendar.

Other countries

All bridge day pages · More free tools

Count leave around Irish holidays

Add a Ireland holiday calendar in SquadBear and these nationwide holidays are prefilled. Leave counted in working days skips them. Free for up to 5 people.

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