These are the Christmas 2026 key dates in Ireland for post, school holidays, bank holidays and shopping. The main thing to know is that the calendar falls awkwardly this year. Christmas Day is a Friday and St Stephen’s Day is a Saturday, and schools break up on Tuesday 22 December. An Post has not yet published its 2026 last posting dates. Below is everything that has been confirmed so far, plus last year’s An Post deadlines as a rough guide.
- Christmas Day: Friday 25 December 2026 (public holiday)
- St Stephen’s Day: Saturday 26 December 2026 (public holiday; no automatic substitute Monday in the Republic)
- Schools close: Tuesday 22 December 2026, the last day of term
- Schools reopen: Wednesday 6 January 2027
- Black Friday: Friday 27 November 2026
- Welfare Christmas Bonus: double payment confirmed for December 2026
- An Post 2026 last posting dates: not yet announced
Christmas 2026 key dates in Ireland: the calendar
| Date | Day | What’s happening |
|---|---|---|
| 6 November | Friday | Galway Christmas Market opens in Eyre Square |
| 14 November | Saturday | Belfast Christmas Market opens at City Hall |
| 15 November | Sunday | Cork Christmas Parade and lights switch-on |
| 21 November | Saturday | Light Up Limerick switch-on, O’Connell Street |
| 27 November | Friday | Black Friday |
| 30 November | Monday | Cyber Monday |
| December (date TBC) | – | Social welfare Christmas Bonus paid |
| 22 December | Tuesday | Last day of school term |
| 25 December | Friday | Christmas Day (public holiday) |
| 26 December | Saturday | St Stephen’s Day (public holiday) |
| 28 December | Monday | Boxing Day substitute bank holiday in Northern Ireland only |
| 1 January 2027 | Friday | New Year’s Day (public holiday) |
| 6 January 2027 | Wednesday | Schools reopen |
An Post last posting dates for Christmas 2026
When we checked on 1 November, An Post had not published its Christmas 2026 last posting dates for Ireland, the UK, Europe or the rest of the world. It usually announces them in the second half of the year, and we will update this page with the official deadlines once they appear.
Until then, last year’s deadlines give a sense of how early you need to post. These are the 2025 dates as reported by Citizens Information. They are not this year’s.
| Destination | Letters and cards (2025) | Standard parcels (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 22 December | 16 December |
| Northern Ireland | 19 December | 16 December |
| Great Britain | 18 December | 16 December |
| Rest of Europe | 18 December | 12 December |
| USA | 10 December | 4 December |
| Rest of the world | 4 December | 4 December |
The pattern is clear: anything going to Australia, Asia or Africa needs to be posted in the first days of December. Parcels need to go roughly a week before cards. Express, registered and courier services have later cut-offs, which An Post publishes separately.
Posting within the UK or from Northern Ireland? Royal Mail has confirmed its 2026 dates. Its recommended last posting days are Friday 18 December for second class, Monday 21 December for first class, Saturday 19 December for Tracked 48, Monday 21 December for Tracked 24, and Wednesday 23 December for Special Delivery Guaranteed.
School Christmas holidays 2026
The Department of Education’s circular 0018/2026 now sets standard Christmas, mid-term and Easter breaks for every primary and post-primary school. For this year it says all schools will close on Tuesday 22 December 2026, the final day of term, and reopen on Wednesday 6 January 2027. That gives children two weeks off, with Little Christmas (6 January) the first day back. The next breaks under the same circular, as reported by Schooldays.ie, are the February mid-term (primary schools closed 18 to 19 February 2027, post-primary 15 to 19 February) and Easter (schools close Friday 19 March and reopen Monday 5 April 2027). Separately, the school pay dispute has raised the possibility of disruption in November. See our report on the pay talks and the threatened 11 November action.
Bank holidays over Christmas 2026
Christmas Day (Friday 25 December) and St Stephen’s Day (Saturday 26 December) are both public holidays in the Republic. Because St Stephen’s Day falls on a Saturday, workers don’t automatically get Monday 28 December off. Citizens Information says employees are still entitled to public holiday benefit when a holiday falls on a weekend or a non-working day, but there is no legal right to the next working day off. Your employer decides which benefit you get: a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave, or an extra day’s pay. You can ask your employer at least 21 days beforehand which one it will be.
Northern Ireland is different. There, Monday 28 December is a substitute bank holiday for Boxing Day. New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January 2027, is a public holiday on both sides of the border. See our full list of Ireland bank holidays for 2027.
Shopping dates and your money
Black Friday is on 27 November and Cyber Monday on 30 November. Our Black Friday 2026 guide explains the 30-day rule that exposes fake discounts. For a Christmas day out, our Christmas markets Ireland 2026 guide lists every confirmed market. On welfare, the Irish Examiner reports that Budget 2027 confirmed the Christmas Bonus will again be a double payment in December 2026. It is worth about €380 million to roughly 1.4 million families. The exact payment week hadn’t been announced when we checked. From 1 January 2027 the minimum wage rises to €14.94 an hour, and core weekly welfare payments go up by €10.
What happens next
The biggest missing piece is An Post’s 2026 posting schedule. We will add the official deadlines for Ireland, Northern Ireland, Britain, Europe, the US and the rest of the world as soon as they are published, along with the Department of Social Protection’s Christmas Bonus payment dates. Until then, the safest approach is to post international parcels in the first week of December.
Frequently asked questions
What are the An Post last posting dates for Christmas 2026?
An Post had not published them as of 1 November 2026. In 2025, the deadline for letters within Ireland was 22 December and for standard parcels 16 December.
When do schools close for Christmas 2026 in Ireland?
All primary and post-primary schools close on Tuesday 22 December 2026 and reopen on Wednesday 6 January 2027, under Department of Education circular 0018/2026.
Is 28 December 2026 a bank holiday in Ireland?
Not in the Republic. St Stephen’s Day falls on Saturday 26 December, and there is no automatic substitute day. In Northern Ireland, Monday 28 December is a substitute bank holiday.
What day is Christmas 2026?
Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday and St Stephen’s Day is a Saturday.
When is the Christmas Bonus paid in 2026?
Budget 2027 confirmed a double-payment Christmas Bonus in December 2026. The exact payment dates had not been announced when we checked.
When is Black Friday 2026?
Friday 27 November 2026, followed by Cyber Monday on 30 November.
Sources
- Citizens Information: Last dates for posting Christmas cards and parcels (9 December 2025, 2025 dates)
- Yahoo News UK / Lancashire Telegraph: Royal Mail announces final posting dates for Christmas 2026 (28 October 2026)
- INTO: Circular 0018/2026, standardisation of the school year (accessed 1 November 2026)
- gov.ie: School holiday dates (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Schooldays.ie: Standardised school years 2026-2029, key dates (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Citizens Information: Public holidays (accessed 1 November 2026)
- NIBusinessInfo: Bank and public holidays in Northern Ireland (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Irish Examiner: Budget 2027, changes to pensions and welfare payments and when they kick in (7 October 2026)
- PublicHolidays.ie: Black Friday 2026 (accessed 1 November 2026)
Featured image: Grafton Street at night (8262993407) by Miguel Mendez from Malahide, Ireland, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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