Explained: Is Good Friday supposed to be a day off? Do pubs open as normal?

Eva Osborne

Easter Monday is the only public holiday that can vary significantly from year to year, as the date of Easter moves every year.

Unlike Easter Monday, Good Friday is not a public holiday, despite most schools and some businesses closing on the day.

Workers have no automatic entitlement to time off work on Good Friday.

These days, most pubs and off-licences will be serving alcohol as normal.

It was in 2018 that the ban on selling alcohol on Good Friday was lifted – but some are now questioning if we should bring it back.

Speaking on Newstalk, spokesperson for Aid to the Church in Need Ireland, Michael Kelly, said whether people celebrate Good Friday in a religious capacity or not, it is healthy for all cultures to have sacred times.

“We live very much in a culture now of kind of unregulated capitalism,” he said.

“The dollar or the euro always wins out; I mean, supermarkets will say that they’re opening extra hours to be more convenient to everyone.

“The reality is they’re opening extra house to maximise profits and deliver better yields to their shareholders – so, that’s the reality of the situation.”