Good Friday in Ireland is a remarkable day, but it is not just another public holiday (and it is definitely not a public holiday). There are many myths and misconceptions about what Good Friday means in Ireland and how it is celebrated exactly. The truth is that Good Friday is one of the most important days on the Christian calendar. It is usually a day of prayer for Catholics and others in the Christian faith, and it was traditionally a day when the sale of alcohol was completely banned in Ireland.
However, things are changing, so here is your guide to Good Friday in Ireland:
When is celebrated
Good Friday is the Friday just before Easter weekend. The actual date changes (as it is linked to the lunar calendar), but it will always be in March or April. The date may coincide with the Jewish holiday of Passover. Historically, it appears that the first Good Friday may have been Friday, April 3, AD 33. C. An eclipse mentioned in the apostle Peter’s writings makes it probable. However, Christians in Ireland and around the world now celebrate Good Friday on the last Friday before Easter. In 2019, Good Friday is April 19, and it will be April 10, 2020.
What celebrates on Good Friday
It could be said that without Good Friday there would be no Christianity: Good Friday marks the Passion of Christ or the day Jesus Christ was crucified and killed. Jesus Christ is central to the Christian religion and therefore Good Friday is one of the most important days of memories in the Christian church. Without Good Friday, there would have been no resurrection, and therefore there would be no Easter.
Why is it called Good Friday
Because the day marks such a bleak occasion, the name can seem confusing. There is nothing good about being humiliated, flogged, and ultimately killed by crucifixion: the “good” on Good Friday refers to this day being holy.
Good Friday in Ireland
Good Friday is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Catholic Church (meaning you must attend Mass), but the Republic of Ireland (mostly Catholic) has not declared the religious day a public holiday. On the other hand, Northern Ireland has a public holiday on Good Friday.
In the Republic of Ireland, Good Friday is a bank holiday, which means that banks, schools and other government businesses may be closed or have reduced hours. However, private and commercial businesses, such as stores and restaurants, will likely be open.
In Northern Ireland, Good Friday used to be a total closure, but this has changed: more and more retailers are opening their doors, sometimes on reduced hours. Again, no alcohol can be sold.
(If you’re curious about all the days off, you can check out these articles for the full holiday calendars for both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.)
The old prohibition of alcohol
Until 2018, Good Friday was one of two days in Ireland when the sale of alcohol was completely prohibited (the other day was Christmas). It may seem hard to believe in the land of Guinness and whiskey, but the day was completely dry.
That is, if you forgot to stock up. Knowing that all pubs would be closed and that stores would be prohibited from selling beer, wine or liquor, the days leading up to Good Friday were generally notable for the flood of shoppers looking for large amounts of alcohol.
There were some exceptions to the prohibition of alcohol. For example, railroad bars and restaurants might sell liquor to passengers in good faith . (Which could say a lot about the state of Ireland’s railways, if you need to get stronger earlier and revive your spirit after a trip.) But for the most part, alcohol was banned on Good Friday in Ireland until 2018.
Pubs are already open
In 2018, the Irish Parliament revoked the ban on the sale of alcohol on Good Friday. That means pubs and bars are open on Good Friday in Ireland. Some never closed in recent years because they were still allowed to serve meals, even if they couldn’t serve beer and other beverages. However, it was always a surreal day to be in a bar, as they say, there is nothing as strange as a pub without beer.
These days you will find no shortage of pubs open on Good Friday anywhere in Ireland. Many people were happy to see the old ban on going out to pubs at night lifted, while others stick to the tradition of staying home for a quiet night.
The history of the Good Friday agreement
The Good Friday Agreement or the Belfast Agreement (in Irish ” Comhaontú Bhéal Feirste ” or ” Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta ” , in Ulster-Scots ” Bilfawst Greeance ” or ” Guid Friday Greeance “), occasionally also called the Stormont Agreement, was The main political advance in the peace process. It paved the way for the Northern Ireland that you can safely visit today.
The agreement was signed in Belfast on April 10, 1998, which happened to be Good Friday of that year. It is a multi-party agreement involving the majority of Northern Ireland’s political parties and an international agreement between the UK and Irish governments.
The Good Friday Agreement covers many issues and affected the system of government in Northern Ireland, the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as the rights of the different communities in Northern Ireland. It also regulated the dismantling of weapons held by paramilitary groups and (in exchange) the release of (most) members of paramilitary groups from prison.
