The Courts Service has confirmed key 2026 dates for the High Court Commercial List during the long vacation, giving legal practitioners and commercial litigants early clarity on urgent scheduling. The update is especially important for firms, in-house counsel, and court users who need to plan filings, motion booklets, and time-sensitive applications well in advance.
According to the notice published through the Courts Service, the High Court Commercial Court will sit during the 2026 long vacation on two dates to deal with Commercial Motions.
High Court Commercial List 2026 Sitting Dates
The scheduled long vacation sittings are:
- Wednesday 2 September 2026 at 11:00 a.m.
- Wednesday 23 September 2026 at 11:00 a.m.
These sittings are confined to Commercial Motions and are intended to manage a limited range of matters during the vacation period.
What the Commercial List sittings will cover
The notice makes clear that these lists are reserved for:
- Entry applications
- Other urgent matters
- Cases specifically adjourned to those dates by the Commercial Court only
This means not every urgent High Court issue will appear before the Commercial Court on these dates. Instead, the sessions are narrowly focused on matters already within the Commercial Court framework.
Commercial Motion Filing Deadlines for 2026
For anyone intending to bring an entry motion before the High Court Commercial List, the filing deadlines are a critical part of this announcement.
- For Wednesday 2 September 2026, Entry Commercial Motions and all booklets must be filed and lodged by 27 August 2026.
- For Wednesday 23 September 2026, Entry Commercial Motions and all booklets must be filed and lodged by 17 September 2026.
Missing these dates could affect whether a matter is listed, so solicitors and counsel should ensure documents are prepared and lodged on time.
What happens to other urgent matters?
The Courts Service also stated that all other urgent matters will continue to be handled by the relevant duty judge in the normal way. In practical terms, only matters specifically falling within the Commercial Court vacation arrangements will go before these listed sittings.
This distinction is useful for court users navigating wider Irish public services, where separate bodies such as gov.ie, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), An Garda Síochána, the Revenue Commissioners, and the Health Service Executive (HSE) each manage their own procedural systems. For court-specific updates, the Courts Service remains the key authority, while broader policy oversight across Justice, Finance and Public Expenditure sits within government structures including the Department of the Taoiseach.
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Why this High Court Commercial List update matters
The High Court Commercial List plays an important role in handling complex and high-value commercial disputes efficiently. Advance notice of long vacation sittings helps:
- Legal teams prepare urgent applications properly
- Businesses manage litigation timelines
- Court users avoid uncertainty around vacation scheduling
- Practitioners meet booklet and lodging deadlines in full
For parties involved in commercial litigation, the message is straightforward: note the two September 2026 dates, follow the filing deadlines carefully, and use the standard duty judge route for urgent matters outside the Commercial Court vacation list.
FAQs on the High Court Commercial List 2026
When will the High Court Commercial Court sit during the 2026 long vacation?
The scheduled sittings are Wednesday 2 September 2026 and Wednesday 23 September 2026, both from 11:00 a.m.
What matters will be heard?
The sittings are for entry applications and other urgent matters specifically adjourned to those dates by the Commercial Court.
What is the filing deadline for the 2 September 2026 sitting?
Entry Commercial Motions, including all booklets, must be filed and lodged by 27 August 2026.
What is the filing deadline for the 23 September 2026 sitting?
Entry Commercial Motions, including all booklets, must be filed and lodged by 17 September 2026.
How will other urgent matters be handled?
All other urgent matters will be dealt with by the relevant duty judge as normal.
In summary, the High Court Commercial List long vacation schedule for 2026 is now set, with two dedicated September sittings and clear filing cut-off dates. For commercial litigants and legal professionals, acting early is the clearest way to avoid procedural delays.
Article/Image Courtesy: Courts Service
