The Irish Free State banned alcohol sales on Saint Patrick’s Day in 1927.
The prohibition was introduced by the government of the Irish Free State during a period when public celebrations were still generally more restrained than the large festivals familiar today. The rule made Saint Patrick’s Day an unusual exception in the calendar: pubs and other licensed premises could not sell alcohol throughout the day.
The measure applied in the Irish Free State, not throughout the island of Ireland. Alcohol sales remained legal in Northern Ireland, which was outside the Free State’s jurisdiction. This distinction is an easy source of confusion when historical accounts refer broadly to “Ireland.”
The ban lasted for several decades and was eventually repealed in 1961. It should also be distinguished from separate licensing restrictions on Christmas Day and Good Friday, some of which had different legal histories and continued after the Saint Patrick’s Day prohibition ended.