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Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Campaign grows for Ireland to get another public holiday, honouring St Colmcille
Ireland could get another public holiday if proposals to have our third patron saint granted a day in his memory go through. Following the addition of St Brigid's Day in 2023, we now enjoy 10 public holidays. Our third national saint after St Patrick and St Brigid is St Colmcille – and a campaign to have a public holiday named after him is growing. Donegal County Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh proposed a motion for the local authority to ask the Government to establish a new public holiday in honour of St Colmcille, who is also known as St Columba. On the saint's feast day yesterday, he said: "Ireland is two days behind the European average of 12 public. "St Colmcille is Ireland's third patron saint but isn't recognised with a public holiday. We're looking to even that up." St Colmcille was born near Lifford, in Donegal in 521AD and established over 50 Christian sites throughout Ireland. Despite the addition of St Brigid's Day, the Irish tally remains lower than the EU average of 12. For example, France has 12 this year, while Spain and Portugal both have 13. Public holidays, which are sometimes called a bank holiday, commemorate a special day or other event. Most businesses and schools close, while services like public transport operate with reduced schedules. In Ireland, the 10 days are New Year's Day, St Brigid's Day, St Patrick's Day, Easter Monday, May Day, the June Bank Holiday, the August Bank Holiday, the October Bank Holiday, Christmas Day, and St Stephen's Day. Good Friday is not a public holiday, but it is a bank holiday, meaning some businesses do close, although workers are not legally entitled to a day off. There have been several proposals for extra public holidays in Ireland, with a Government taskforce for the Tourism Recovery Plan 2020-23 having considered an off-peak public holiday date. It said this would "create additional domestic high spending short break demand and would extend the tourism season." In 2021 Senator Fiona O'Loughlin called for one to coincide with the Late Late Toy Show. The then-Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said at the time that there were discussions about having a public holiday in February, March or November. Last year, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) called for two more public holidays in Ireland and said: "The minimum number of public holidays should be the EU average of 12." In January, People Before Profit proposed two extra holidays for the last Mondays of September and November. A spokesman said: "Workers in Ireland are still lagging behind their European counterparts. "Ireland has 10 public holidays. In contrast, Germany and Sweden have 13 paid public holidays, Italy has 14 and Austria has 15." Dublin City University's Dr Brenda Daly, who is an Associate Professor of Law, last month called for more public holidays. She said: "I certainly would advocate that there is a benefit to it." A Department of Enterprise spokesperson said. "Any proposal for the provision of another public holiday would require very careful consideration, including on the additional costs this would impose on employers." The idea of a day off in Ireland was introduced in 1871, when the country was still under British rule. After independence, the Bank Holidays Act was replaced by the Public Holidays Act 1924. The Government has the authority under Article 28 of the 1922 Constitution to proclaim a new holiday. In a letter to the Government, Mr Kavanagh wrote: "The June Bank Holiday could be renamed in honour of St Colmcille, but that wouldn't solve Ireland having less public holidays than the rest of Europe. "We could go for a new public holiday on the first Monday in July. We don't have a public holiday in July. "St Colmcille's story is a great story. "I think it would be an excellent bank holiday. "We hope the Government will look at the proposal."
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- General
- RTÉ News
Calls for new public holiday in honour of St Colmcille
Donegal County Council is set to ask the Government to establish a new public holiday in honour of Saint Colmcille - also known as St Columba - the only Irish patron saint without a public holiday. Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh, whose motion calling for the public holiday was accepted at the council's latest meeting told RTÉ News there are two elements to the proposal. "Ireland is two days behind the European average of 12 public holidays per year. "St Colmcille is Ireland's third patron saint along with St Patrick and St Brigid, but he isn't recognised with a public holiday. We're looking to even that up," he said. Today marks St Colmcille feast day. Cllr Kavanagh has suggested two options as there is already a bank holiday in June. "The June Bank Holiday could be renamed in honour of St Colmcille (Columba), but that wouldn't solve the problem of Ireland having less public holidays than the rest of Europe. "Alternatively, we could go for a new public holiday on the first Monday in July. We don't have a public holiday in July in the Republic of Ireland," he said. Cllr Kavanagh added: "St Colmcille's story is a great story. I think it would be an excellent bank holiday. We're hoping the Government will look at the proposal in a positive way." He also said there would be all-Ireland, cross-border and international dimensions to any recognition, given St Colmcille's story. It is believed that St Colmcille was born in Gartán, Co Donegal in 521AD and established over 50 Christian sites throughout Ireland. In the English language, Colmcille translates as 'Dove of the Church'. He is regarded as one the three patrons saint of Ireland alongside St Patrick and St Brigid. There are many sites in the north west and in the eastern region associated with St Colmcille including Gleann Cholm Cille, Toraigh, Kells and Swords. The influential Irish monk is known the patron saint of Derry - as Gaeilge - Doire Cholmcille, meaning 'oakwood of Colmcille'. He was a significant historical figure in the spreading of Christianity in Britain. One of his most important monasteries was in Iona, off the coast of Scotland. Much history was written and recorded in his monasteries. One of Ireland's most famous books, the Book of Kells, written in Latin is believed to have been crafted by monks in the Columban monastery on Iona. Colmcille died in Iona on 9 June, 597. His legacy, as well as devotion to the saint, has endured to modern times. Many schools, churches and GAA clubs nationwide are named in his honour. Ireland has ten public holidays per year, and St Brigid's Day was the most recent addition to the list in 2023. The legislation which provides for public holidays is the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (OWTA). The OWTA Act is under the policy remit of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the power to introduce an additional public holiday is provided for within this legislation.
RTÉ News
03-06-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
Ballintubber Abbey to build heritage and cultural centre
The 800-year-old Ballintubber Abbey in Co Mayo is aiming to become a centre of pilgrimage, with the addition of a heritage and cultural centre. Construction is due to begin next year on the new section which will compliment the existing church building and incorporate preserved ruins at the site. Speaking to RTÉ news Abbey Manager Suellen McKenna said the heritage centre will be a three-story extension. "The ground floor will be depicting the 800 years of the abbey. The second story will be dedicated to the Tóchar Phádraig and pilgrimage walks, and the third story will be a journey through mankind." Money for the renovation was sanctioned last year. Ballintubber Abbey Trust received €5.8 million from the Government's Rural Regeneration and Development Fund. Ballintubber Abbey is the starting point for pilgrims who walk the Tóchar Phádraig, or Patrick's Causeway. This is a 35km pilgrim route from Ballintubber to the top of Croagh Patrick. St Patrick is said to have fasted and prayed along the route as he spread the Christian message in Ireland in the fifth century. In the 1980s, the path was revitalised as a pilgrimage walk with the help of Ballintubber's Fr Frank Fahey. Fr Fahey still meets pilgrims and advises them to light a candle before they depart. He urges pilgrims to talk to fellow walkers about their lives and to offer up their sore feet as an act of penance. "Pilgrimage is always associated with penance. So, the penance is that during the day when walking the 22 miles, there is to be no complaining," he said. "For the things that you could complain about, you say thanks be to God." Ballintubber Abbey organises several walks a year on the Tóchar Phádraig. "You can see Croagh Patrick in the background. You come across every kind of terrain, and nature, and animal along the route." said Ms McKenna. Pilgrim path expert and guidebook author John G O'Dwyer said the Tóchar Phádraig goes back even further than St Patrick. "This would have been a pagan trail, and Croagh Patrick was a pagan mountain." He said the route to the mountain was once travelled by royalty in horse-drawn chariots, and some of the ancient stones from that road are visible in the ground. "It's older than the Spanish Camino," he said, adding that the trail is at least 2,000 years old. "The Camino is only a little bit over 1,000 years." Pilgrim paths are growing in popularity, according to Mr O'Dwyer. His latest guidebook details journeys that can be made on foot in a day or in stages over several days. "For example, you have St Finbarr's pilgrim path in Cork, Cnoc na DTobar, Cosán na Naomh on the Dingle Peninsula." Mr O'Dwyer also notes a rise in foreign visitors coming to Ireland specifically to walk a pilgrim path. Some, he said, walk for the challenge and scenery, others walk as an act of faith. So, what level of walking is involved for Patrick's Causeway? "It's not the same as training for a marathon," said Mr O'Dwyer. "But you do need to be reasonably fit. If you want to smell the flowers and hear the sheep, I'd suggest you walk to the abbey at Aughagower, then on the second day you do Croagh Patrick." Mr O'Dwyer said the benefits of walking in the footsteps of our ancestors and the saints are many.
Irish Examiner
04-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Pilgrim trails have come full circle and are so popular now
A feature of our time has been that the ancient paths once footed by medieval pilgrims are having a renewed moment. Seeking meaning beyond materialism and recourse, for a time at least, to a less complicated way of living, increasing numbers are seeking the elusive butterfly of fulfilment and self-awareness by walking the Pilgrim Path to Canterbury, St Olav's Way in Norway and the Via Francigena to Rome. Above all else, however, modern day pilgrim walkers are discovering a New Jerusalem on the Camino of St James — a fishing net of paths all leading to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. Numbers completing this mystical Spanish trail have risen from fewer than 100 in 1967 to almost 500,000 in 2024 as increasing numbers of wayfarers heed the ageless call of a long walk to a place of sanctity. Until recently, few of those seeking a pilgrim walk in Europe would have considered Ireland as a possible destination, mainly because this country was believed to lack penitential trails. On the contrary, Ireland has a network of mystical paths and a vibrant pilgrim tradition, with all major routes long predating the Camino, some by up to 1,000 years. Throughout history, pilgrimage was an important devotional expression for Irish people with penitents journeying to Glendalough, Gougane Barra, Croagh Patrick, Mount Brandon, and Lough Derg. Later, during the 19th and 20th centuries, when the Catholic Hierarchy emphasised more formal in-church worship, interest in the Irish pilgrim paths evaporated and they became overgrown and largely forgotten. St Declan's Way is a 115-kilometre route reputed to have been walked by St Declan when he travelled to Waterford to meet with St Patrick. Pictures: John G O'Dwyer It is sometimes said that the past never completely dies but eventually comes to revisit us. And so it is that Irish history has come a full circle; in the 21st century people are again taking to these ancient tracks on about 500 kilometres of fully waymarked trails that follow the steps of penitents past. The pilgrim journey is, however, vastly different these days, with little overt emphasis on the penance and prayer of former years. Instead, those who follow our ancient spiritual trails are generally a casual and relaxed bunch — more interested in the benefits from the walk itself than reaching the penitential destination. Unlike penitents past, many will have their backpack moved ahead each day, while none will take on the arduous task of footing it back to the starting point, as medieval pilgrims were obliged to do. And unlike hikers, who generally prefer to explore pristine environments with the minimum of human influence, pilgrim walkers are happier with the well-trodden trails followed by past generations with more emphasis on history, mindfulness and engaging with the surroundings than on the religious origins of the route. St Declan's Way To some, pilgrim walking may seem just another form of hiking, but for most participants, it hides a quest for deeper meaning, which is rarely found among general trekkers. As the modern expressions of spirituality becomes more informal and individual, pilgrimage is now as much a voyage of personal renewal as a physical journey. With the decline of formalised religious practice, consumerism has increasingly become a value that we use to give purpose to our lives, but what do we replace it with when our physical needs have been satisfied? The growing numbers who are, once again, following the ancient tradition of a pilgrim walk are proof of a renewed desire for higher meaning that the rampant materialism of our age leaves largely unsatisfied. While not presented the same challenge as mountain climbing, pilgrim walking, nevertheless, takes us out of our comfort zone, and in doing so, enables us to know ourselves better. Footing these ageless trails not only offers this opportunity for self-discovery, it also provides a link to the past and provides the feelgood experience of bringing additional visitor spend to rural communities. Since pilgrim paths, in the main, follow routes through populated areas they also expose us to chance encounters with local people which are rare for those visiting on fully packaged holiday experiences. Great Irish Pilgrim Journeys by John G O'Dwyer In my new book titled, Great Irish Pilgrim Journeys, I describe the paths followed by medieval Irish pilgrims both here and abroad, such as The Celtic Camino, The Pilgrim Passport Journey, St Declan's Way and many other well-walked trails. Accompanied by detailed maps and photographs of the landscape along the paths, the walks described take anywhere from four hours to eight days to complete. In this way, I believe the book offers a pilgrim walk for everyone and will act as a complete resource for Irish people and overseas visitors wishing to discover the rich history of the ancient pilgrim trails trodden by our forefathers. Great Irish Pilgrim Journeys is now available from bookshops nationwide and the publishers at
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Minister rejects calls for UK-wide bank holiday for St Patrick's Day
Calls for a UK-wide bank holiday to mark St Patrick's Day have been rejected by the Government on cost grounds. Business minister Justin Madders acknowledged extending the March 17 bank holiday beyond Northern Ireland would benefit those who celebrate it, but said the overall cost to the economy would be 'considerable'. MPs heard a one-off bank holiday is estimated to cost the UK economy around £2 billion. Mr Madders was responding to an adjournment debate on the potential merits of making St Patrick's Day a UK bank holiday led by DUP MP Jim Shannon. Strangford MP Mr Shannon told the House of Commons: 'I stand as a very proud unionist who is very happy to say that I hoped everyone enjoyed St Patrick's Day, they should have enjoyed it, I always enjoy it. 'Probably when I started off my life I wasn't quite sure about St Patrick's Day because it seemed to have been taken over by one section of the community. 'But then I realised that whenever I looked into the issue of St Patrick I suddenly found out that St Patrick was very clearly everybody's, so for the last 40 years or maybe 50 years of my life I've been promoting St Patrick for the very purposes of why he's here.' Mr Shannon added: 'I do not believe we have fully grasped the potential merits in making St Patrick's Day a totally global phenomenon, not just for cities across the world to enjoy but for people to come and enjoy in each of our four nations. 'The saint who bonds us all could and should be promoted by us all.' Labour's Douglas McAllister was among the Scottish MPs to advance the claim that St Patrick was born in Scotland. In a light-hearted debate, he intervened to say: 'I was giving (Mr Shannon) the opportunity to perhaps correct the record but I must state for the record that St Patrick was born in my constituency of West Dunbartonshire, he was born in Kilpatrick.' Mr Madders, replying for the Government, said: 'The Government does appreciate the deep cultural and religious significance of St Patrick's Day to many nationalists and unionists across Northern Ireland, some of whom revere St Patrick for his role in the arrival and growth of Christianity on the island.' He acknowledged that the date is already a bank holiday in Northern Ireland, adding: 'The current pattern of bank holidays is well established, and the Government does not have any plans to extend the St Patrick's Day bank holiday to other parts of the UK.' The minister went on: 'Of course an additional bank holiday in England and Wales for St Patrick's Day would benefit those who celebrate it, including members of the Irish diaspora in the UK, certain sectors of the economy such as pubs and restaurants might also benefit from increased expenditure on a bank holiday, it is a significant tourism draw to Northern Ireland as well, so I would expect that extending the bank holiday might actually draw more visitors from England and Wales over there. 'However, the overall cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday is considerable. 'The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday is around £2 billion.'
