Shops (Hours of Trading) Act, 1938

“The weekly half-holiday.”

18.—(1) The proprietor of every shop shall specify in a notice (in this section referred to as a half-holiday notice), which shall be in the prescribed form and be kept affixed in a prominent place in such shop, the week-day in each week on which he proposes to close such shop not later than the hour of 1 p.m. and shall send to the sergeant in charge of the Gárda Síochána station nearest to such shop a copy of such half-holiday notice before the commencement of the first week to which such notice relates.

(2) The proprietor of a shop may change the weekday specified in a half-holiday notice, but shall not do so—

(a) in case such shop is situate in a county borough oftener than once in any period of three months, nor

(b) in any case unless he has given to the sergeant in charge of the Gárda Síochána station nearest to such shop, not later than seven days before he makes such change, notice of his intention to do so and of the proposed change.

(3) If the proprietor of a shop acts in contravention (whether by omission or commission) of this section, such proprietor shall be guilty of an offence under this section.

(4) In this Act the expression “weekly half-holiday” when used in relation to a particular shop in respect of a particular week means the weekday in such week specified by the proprietor of such shop in pursuance of sub-section (1) of this section.

(5) This section shall not apply to any shop in which either the only business carried on therein is a scheduled business or all the businesses carried on therein are scheduled businesses.