The tourism industry here wants all schools to wait until September to bring kids back from their holidays.
They claim families are getting ready for the big return too early in the summer -- and it's hurting their profits.
Schools are currently allowed to vary the return date, with many now returning in the last week of August.
Rural hoteliers and restaurateurs are now calling on the government to set one fixed day for all children to go back to school.
Adrian Cummins from the Restaurants Association says the window of opportunity for restaurants to do a busy trade keeps shrinking.
"The season has gotten shorter and shorter for the domestic market. Schools reopen the second last week of August or the last week of August in certain parts of Ireland," he said.
"This isn't good for the Irish economy. It might be good for teachers who want to take a mid-term break, but for the Irish tourism industry it's not good."
He says the domestic tourism industry represents up to 50 per cent of jobs in some parts of the country -- and businesses in rural areas are losing out.
