As families relax into the unfamiliar landscape of the new February bank holiday weekend, it might herald the start of something much bigger.

Although early days, tourism bodies are eyeing the new Imbolg/St Brigid’s Day holiday on Monday for its potential to develop into a new national festival that might provide a welcome cash boost in the leaner months.

It is not such an outlandish possibility.

From humble beginnings featuring tractor floats and shamrocks, the St Patrick’s Day festival was transformed in 1996 when it was mounted on a professional level, growing steadily to the extent that it is now worth €50m to the Dublin economy, proving that ‘if you build it, they will come’.

But how successful a new festival might be is difficult to estimate, officials admit, and “nothing serious” has been done to work out its potential value.

“When it’s a first- time thing, there are no historical figures to base it on,” said Sinéad Grace, of Tourism Ireland.

“It’s a new angle for us and it’s a new hook for us to promote Ireland abroad but it will be from next year on that we will really begin to see the potential – depending on the scale of the celebrations from next year onwards.”

It is understood the Department of Tourism is, for now, not focusing on the idea of a central festival but has concentrated this year on gathering information about the various events taking place.

“In the future there might be scope to capitalise on it but we’re not there yet,” said a source.

But local tourist groups in the St Brigid heartland of Co Kildare are certain they have what it takes to sculpt a bona-fide national festival on the foundations of the ancient one.

Plans are already in train for next year to celebrate the 1,500th anniversary of St Brigid’s death.

“This year is only the start but we were adamant it was highlighted to get people geared up for next year,” said Áine Mangan, CEO of the Into Kildare tourism group.

“If you look at St Patrick’s festival and how it started – if we could get a small slice of that, it would be amazing.”

This is traditionally a quiet time in Kildare, compared to the Punchestown racing festival that brings in more than 100,000 visitors while the Irish Open golf tournament brings in 25,000 a day over four days.

“Why wouldn’t Brigid bring in some of that – it has to start somewhere,” Ms Mangan noted.

Jim Murphy, CEO of the Prem Hospitality group, which operates more than 30 hotels across Ireland and Europe, said: “It’s so new that it’s crept up on us but we’re all delighted to have this weekend – it’s coming at a great time of the year when we need a break.”

If it turns out to be successful, this new bank holiday might change the traditional lull at the start of the year, he hopes, and in conjunction with St Valentine’s Day on the 14th, it might mean they can plan to open their hotel in Killarney a month earlier than usual.

William Doyle, CEO of Newbridge Silverware, which also runs the Museum of Style Icons said the new break had huge potential for tourism domestically and internationally, while it was also greatly welcomed by the Kildare Village outlet.

But amid the commercial possibilities, there is still room for the spiritual.

Sr Rita Minehan, of the Solas Bhríde centre in Kildare, said they had seen a huge influx of visitors from Sweden, Portugal, the US and England coming to find out more about Ireland’s lesser-known patron saint.

“It’s wonderful because it’s something new,” she said.

"It’s an awakening of the equal dignity of women and men at a national level. It’s absolutely wonderful that we have a woman’s voice there again.”