An additional bank holiday and a national commemorative event on 18th of March were approved today by Cabinet.
This means that the St Patrick's Day will fall on the Thursday, the new bank holiday will fall the following day on the Friday and a four day weekend for all.
Government signaled that the day will be a day of remembrance and recognition for the many who died and worked throughout the pandemic.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar cautioned that the pandemic '' isn't over yet'' but that we should ''remember those who have been lost'' when speaking last week.
To add to the good news a €1,000 bonus for public sector healthcare workers has also been greenlit by government.
Private nursing home healthcare workers will be included in this also.
Cabinet has formally signed off on declaring Friday 18 March as a bank holiday this year @VirginMediaNews
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) January 19, 2022