When do clocks go back as Irish people make same mistake with phones and watches?

Irish people will get an extra hour in bed on Sunday morning as the tradition of clocks going back continues for another year.

Every winter, clocks go back one hour. They go forward one hour in spring. The clocks change at the same time in the EU.

Ireland has the same time as the UK and Portugal. This is one hour behind Central European Time, which is used in most of the EU.

In an attempt to remember the system, many people use the 'spring forward' and 'fall back' adage.

When do clocks go forward?

Clocks go forward by one hour at 1am on the last Sunday of March. This means, at 1am the time on the clock is changed to 2am.

Date clocks go forward in Ireland:

31 March 2024
30 March 2025
29 March 2026

When do clocks go back?

Clocks go back by one hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October. This means, at 2am on Sunday, October 27, the time on the clock is changed to 1am.

Dates clocks go back in Ireland:

27 October 2024
26 October 2025
25 October 2026

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Many people make the mistake of putting the clock back from 1am to midnight or even from midnight to 11pm on Saturday night instead of the official 2am.

Also, many people are unaware most modern smartphones adjust the hour automatically so you only need manually change clocks and watches. If you manually set the time on your phone and have auto-settings turned off, you shouldn't change until 2am.

Proposed changes to summer and winter time

In 2019, the European Parliament voted in favour of ending these seasonal time changes. EU institutions have not made progress on implementing the decision, and the European Commission has said that it does not plan to submit a new proposal on the matter to the Parliament. This means that no changes are expected to summer and winter time in the coming years.