Friday 18 March 2022 will become a public holiday “in recognition of the efforts of the general public, volunteers and all workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in remembrance of people who lost their lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic”, the government said.

From next year, a new permanent public holiday will be established in celebration of St Brigid’s Day, also known as Imbolc.

The new holiday will fall on the first Monday in every February, except where St Brigid’s Day, which is observed on 1 February, falls on a Friday, in which case that Friday 1 February will be a public holiday.

Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste and minister for enterprise, trade and employment, said: “The creation of a tenth public holiday will bring Ireland more into line with the European average and it is one of five new workers’ rights that I am establishing this year.

“The others are the right to statutory sick pay, the right to request remote working, new rights around redundancy for people laid off during the pandemic, and better protection of workplace tips.”