The Dates For Your Diary resource is back again for its 10th consecutive year. So many teachers make use of this list while they are making plans for seasonal and related activities in the classroom during the school year. Huge thanks again to Ciara Reilly (@PrimEdTeacher on Twitter, @CiaraReillyLecturer on Instagram) for compiling this annual list.
As well as special days, feasts, festivals and celebrations it also includes dates of conferences that will be of educational interest to teachers. Links are provided for further information. Save the dates in your school diary.
All of these dates give teachers great opportunities to celebrate special occasions in school and to see how they can be integrated into the curriculum for educational purposes. So if you are in the midst of planning the year ahead, why not incorporate some of these special occasions into your plans.
If any occasions/dates have been omitted, or if there are any mistakes, please email me to let me know and I’ll update the list.
You can download a colourful booklet of the complete list, organised month by month, at the bottom of the page.
Where you see “TBC” – it means “To Be Confirmed” ie. the date has not been finalised at this point.
| Date | Event | More Info |
| 3rd | Outdoor Classroom Day (Autumn edition) | https://outdoorclassroomday.com/ |
| 7th-11th | Irish Sustainable Schools’ Network ‘Climate and Nature Summit’ | https://www.issn.ie/summit
(coincides with COP 27) |
| 7th | Dream Space LIVE: Choosing Our Future with Minecraft: Education Edition (Science Week) | https://mktoevents.com/Microsoft+Event/354353/157-GQE-382?ocid=lp_pg354923_gdc_edu_dt |
| 11th | Origami Day | http://www.origami-instructions.com/ |
| 12th | Women’s Rugby World Cup Final | https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/2021 |
| 13th | International Tongue Twister Day | https://www.pearsoncanadaschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PS34Fc |
| 13th-20th | Science Week | https://www.scienceweek.ie/ |
| 20th | FIFA Men’s World Cup begins | https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022 |
| 21st | World Fisheries Day | https://www.gdrc.org/doyourbit/21_11-fisheries-day.html |
| 24th | Thanksgiving (USA) | |
| 27th | Advent begins | |
| TBC | Library Week Ireland | https://www.libraryirelandweek.ie/ |
| Date | Event | More Info |
| 3rd | International Day of Persons with Disabilities | https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-of-persons-with-disabilities |
| 5th | Birthday of Walt Disney | |
| 18th | FIFA Men’s World Cup Final | https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022 |
| 21st | Winter Solstice | https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/seasons.html |
| 25th | Christmas Day | https://nollaigshona.ie/ |
| 31st | New Year’s Eve |
| Date | Event | More Info |
| 1st | New Year’s Day | |
| 4th | World Braille Day | https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-braille-day/ |
| 6th | Nollaig na mBan | |
| 15th | All Ireland Club Football and Hurling Finals | https://www.gaa.ie/ |
| 16th | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | https://www.calendardate.com/martin_luther_king_day_2021.htm |
| 18th | World Day of the Snowman | http://worlddayofsnowman.com/ |
| 22nd-29th TBC | Catholic Schools Week | https://www.catholicschools.ie/catholicschoolsweek2022/ |
| 22nd | Chinese New Year (Year of the Rabbit) | https://www.dublinchinesenewyear.com/ |
| 26th | Australia Day | |
| Jan 29th-Feb 4th | Storytelling Week (UK) | https://www.sfs.org.uk/national-storytelling-week |
| 31st | Backwards Day | https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/backward-day/ |
| Date | Event | More Info |
| 1st | Lá Fhéile Bríde | |
| 4th | Men’s Six Nations Rugby begins | https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/ |
| 7th | Safer Internet Day | https://www.saferinternetday.ie |
| 11th | International Day of Women and Girls in Science | https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day/ |
| 15th | Green Flag Award (deadline day for applying for 1st flag) | https://greenschoolsireland.org/ |
| 28th | Rare Disease Day | https://www.rarediseaseday.org/ |
| TBC | Green Schools Exhibition (usually takes place on a Thursday in late February) | https://greenschoolsireland.org/ |
| TBC | Texaco Art Competition (deadline is usually in late February) | https://www.texacochildrensart.com/ |
| Date | Event | More Info | |
| 1st | World Compliment Day | https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-compliment-day/ | |
| 1st | Zero Discrimination Day | https://www.unaids.org/en/zero-discrimination-day | |
| TBC | Engineers’ Week (usually in early March) | https://www.engineersireland.ie/schools/Engineers-Week | |
| 1st-17th | Seachtain na Gaeilge | https://snag.ie/ | |
| 2nd | World Book Day Ireland | https://www.worldbookday.com/ | |
| 4th | Computers in Education Society of Ireland (CESI) Annual Conference | https://www.cesi.ie/ | |
| TBC | Green Schools Water Poster & Video Competition (deadline usually in early March) | https://greenschoolsireland.org/water-poster-video-competition-2022/ | |
| 8th | International Women’s Day | https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ | |
| TBC | RDS/ESB “Science Blast” Primary Science Fair (usually in early March) | ||
| 17th | St. Patrick’s Day | ||
| 19th | Mothers’ Day | ||
| 20th | Spring Equinox | https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/seasons.html | |
| 20th | World Oral Health Day | https://www.worldoralhealthday.org/ | |
| 20th | International Day of Happiness | https://www.un.org/en/observances/happiness-day | |
| 21st | Nowruz Day (Middle Eastern new year/spring holiday) | https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-nowruz-day | |
| 21st | World Poetry Day | https://ich.unesco.org/en/news/21-march-unesco-celebrates-the-world-poetry-day-13385 | |
| 22nd | World Water Day | https://www.unwater.org/ | |
| 23rd | World Meteorological Day | https://public.wmo.int/en/resources/world-meteorological-day | |
| 24th | Green Flag Award (deadline for 2nd+ flags) | https://greenschoolsireland.org/ | |
| 25th | Women’s Six Nations Rugby begins | https://womens.sixnationsrugby.com/ | |
| Mar 25th-Apr 1st | National Tree Week (TBC) | https://www.treecouncil.ie/national-tree-week | |
| TBC | Tech Week Ireland (usually late March/early April) | https://www.techweek.ie/ | |
| 26th | Clocks Go Forward |
| Date | Event | More Info |
| 1st | April Fools’ Day | |
| 2nd-8th | Holy Week | |
| 2nd | World Autism Awareness Day | https://autismireland.ie/ |
| 9th | Easter Sunday | |
| 12th | International Day of Human Space Flight | https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-spaceflight-day |
| 22nd | Earth Day | https://www.earthday.org/ |
| 23rd | Shakespeare Day | https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/uk/shakespeare-day |
| 30th | International Jazz Day | https://jazzday.com/ |
| Date | Event | More Info |
| 9th | Europe Day | https://ec.europa.eu/ireland/events/europe-day_en |
| 13th-21st | Bike Week (TBC) | https://www.bikeweek.ie/ |
| TBC | ICT in Education Conference (usually in mid May) | https://ictedu.ie/ |
| 19th | Outdoor Classroom Day (Summer edition) | https://outdoorclassroomday.com/ |
| 20th | World Bee Day | https://www.un.org/en/observances/bee-day |
| 21st | International Tea Day | https://www.un.org/en/observances/tea-day |
| TBC | INTO ‘Different Families, Same Love’ competition | https://www.into.ie/about/our-structure/associated-groups/into-lgbt-teachers-group/ |
| TBC | RDS/ESB “Science Blast” Primary Science Fair, Limerick (usually mid May) | https://www.esbscienceblast.com/ |
| TBC | National Walk to School Week (usually second/third week of May) | https://www.greenschoolsireland.org/ |
| Date | Event | More Info |
| 3rd | Butterfly Awareness and Education Day | https://afbeducation.org/butterfly-conservation/butterfly-education-and-awareness-day/ |
| 5th | World Environment Day | https://worldenvironmentday.global/ |
| 8th | World Oceans Day | https://worldoceansday.org/ |
| 12th-19th | Water Safety Week | https://www.iws.ie/ |
| 18th | Fathers’ Day | |
| 20th | World Refugee Day | https://www.unhcr.org/en-ie/world-refugee-day-in-ireland |
| 21st | International Music Day | https://assembliesforall.org.uk/events/world-music-day/ |
| 21st | Summer Solstice | https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/seasons.html |
| 30th | FÍS Film Festival (deadline for submissions) | https://www.fisfilmproject.ie/ |
| TBC | RDS/ESB “Science Blast” Primary Science Fair, Belfast (usually in early June) | https://www.esbscienceblast.com/ |
The full list of Dates for your Diary can be downloaded as a .PDF file here:
(Months of the Year visuals are available as a download HERE)
Ciara Reilly is Assistant Lecturer in Education in ICT and Digital Education in Marino Institute of Education. You can follow her on Twitter @PrimEdTeacher or on Instagram @CiaraReillyLecturer
Huge thanks to Ciara for compiling this list for the 10th year in a row.
