Shops (Hours of Trading) Act, 1938

Public holidays.

3.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, each of the following days shall, for the purposes of this Act, be a public holiday, that is to say:—

(a) Christmas Day when it falls on a weekday or, when it falls on a Sunday, the 27th day of December, and

(b) St. Stephen's Day when it falls on a weekday or, when it falls on a Sunday, the next following Monday, and

(c) St. Patrick's Day when it falls on a weekday or, when it falls on a Sunday, the next following Monday, and

(d) Easter Monday, Whit Monday, and the first Monday in August.

(2) Whenever in any year a day is appointed under the Public Holidays Act, 1924 (No. 56 of 1924), to be a bank holiday instead of a day mentioned in the next preceding sub-section of this section, the day so appointed shall in that year be deemed to be substituted throughout the said sub-section for the day so mentioned and the said sub-section shall be construed and have effect accordingly.

(3) The Minister may, whenever and so often as he thinks fit, by order under this sub-section amend, in respect of any specified area, sub-section (1) of this section in any one or more of the following ways, that is to say:—

(a) by substituting for the day which is a public holiday by virtue of paragraph (b) of the said sub-section (1), the 1st day of January, or the 6th day of January,

(b) by substituting for Easter Monday, Ascension Thursday,

(c) by substituting for Whit Monday, the Feast of Corpus Christi or the 29th day of June,

(d) by substituting for the first Monday in August, the 15th day of August,

and whenever any such order is made in respect of any specified area, then, so long as such order remains in force, sub-section (1) of this section shall have effect in relation to any shops in such area subject to such amendment.

(4) The Minister may by order under this sub-section amend or revoke any order made by him under this section (including this sub-section).