CONFIRMED: We are all getting an extra Bank Holiday THIS YEAR

The government has signed off on a new Bank Holiday this year and every year going forward.

Cabinet today agreed to an extra Bank Holiday on March 18 in 2021, the day after St Patrick's Day.

The date this year will be used to remember and recognise the people who died and frontline staff who worked throughout the pandemic. 

Ministers also today signed off on a once-off, tax-free €1,000 bonus for frontline healthcare workers who were in settings exposed to covid during the pandemic.

The extra Bank Holiday will move to St Brigid's Day, February 1, from 2023 onwards.