Please be advised that there is an update on the arrangements for ELC and SAC services for the new public holiday on 18 March 2022.

Following the Government decision of 19 January 2022 a new public holiday is to be held on 18 March 2022, in recognition of the efforts of the general public and Ireland’s frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in remembrance of people who lost their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, the Government has also decided that there will be a new annual public holiday from 2023 in celebration of Imbolc/St Brigid’s day, which will be the first Monday in every February, except where the first day of February happens to fall on a Friday, in which case that day will be a public holiday. The first such public holiday will be Monday 6 February 2023.

Early learning and childcare services will be permitted to close on the new public holiday without any loss of State funding.  The ECCE pre-school programme will reduce from 183 to 182 days a year.    This will ensure that early learning and childcare providers, staff and children can fully benefit from the new public holiday.

The majority of service providers will not need to make any changes to their calendars if they close on 18 March 2022, but Pobal will contact services if it is necessary in certain cases.

Any services that had intended to close on 18 March will be able to take this day as the public holiday instead.  Pobal will provide information to providers by the end of the month to explain how these cases will be managed.