Which national day is a public holiday in the UK?

St. Patrick's Day, celebrated on March 17th, commemorates the patron saint of Ireland and is a significant cultural and religious holiday. While it originated in Ireland, its celebration has spread globally, particularly in countries with large Irish diasporas, like the UK. Now, here's the interesting bit: St. Patrick's Day is a public holiday in Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK. This means that banks and many businesses are closed, and people get the day off work. You might be thinking about St. George's Day (England's patron saint) or St. David's Day (Wales' patron saint), but neither of those are public holidays across the UK. They are celebrated, of course, but not with a day off work! So, because St. Patrick's Day *is* a public holiday in Northern Ireland, it makes it the correct answer.