Leo Varadkar says his preference for a new Bank Holiday would be in February or March

“I am still listening to what people have to say."

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that his preference for a new Bank Holiday would be in February or March. “I am still listening to what people have to say and it hasn’t been decided yet that we will have one,” he told Newstalk's Hard Shoulder programme on Monday. “My preference is either February or March. One option is the St Brigid’s Day period - there is a big gap between 1 January and St Patrick’s Day in terms of holidays. “The other possibility is a kind of a four-day one over the St Patrick’s day weekend and that would be, if you like, the second anniversary of the pandemic in many ways.” Fine Gael only last week suggested the introduction of a Thanksgiving Bank Holiday for Ireland in November, despite Thanksgiving being a traditionally non-Irish celebration. They suggested public holiday would take place on Monday 29 November. "Are you in favour of a Thanksgiving Bank Holiday on Monday, 29 November?", a post from the Fine Gael Twitter account read on Wednesday afternoon. Ireland currently has just nine Bank Holidays as opposed to 12 in many other European countries. “I know one option being put forward is November and that is certainly not ruled out either but there would be a view from a lot of people that you need to give people a bit more notice,” Varadkar continued. “Like I say, not actually decided yet that there will be one and a date hasn’t been decided either.”