How hard can it be?

The dates of public holidays in Tasmania can be debatable.

But certainly not contentious like a recent call by an Irish Greens MP, Patrick Costello TD, to make the 12th of July an all-Ireland holiday.

He took to Twitter on 10th of July offering, "Today I am calling on the Irish Government to make the 12th of July a public holiday. This day is an extremely important one historically for the island, and culturally for many people who live here."

The statement was met with expected condemnation for a day that commemorates the defeat of Catholic King James II by Protestant King William III of Orange in 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne.

In a poll to test the proposal, 58 percent of 1000 constituents from the Republic of Ireland voted against the suggestion.

To be fair, it was not a bad result with an unlikely ally joining the cause, Sinn Fein Leader Mary Lou McDonald, who stated that she would support the 12th as a bank holiday, but only in a united Ireland.

Union Jacks and Red Hand of Ulster flags still adorn Northern Irish power poles during the Northern Hemisphere summer, although it should be noted that Loyalist flags are much diminished, with bonfires lighting the sky on the 11th of July before Orange Order parades and bands take to the streets on the 12th.

It is a commemoration that remains important to many but divisive to most.

Life is so much simpler in Tasmania.

As a worker who has statewide commitments, I am very good at missing public holidays - particularly those that differ between North and South.

On a small island of 540,000 people it seems ridiculous to have different public holidays North to South and in the North-West, but does it really matter?

And while it is a nuisance for many businesses, they are generally accepting of the inconvenience and go about work or relaxation without a huge amount of fuss.

The Launceston Cup is obviously on a different day to the Hobart Cup as is the Devonport Cup.

And, confusingly, Recreation Day in the North has a Royal Hobart Regatta equivalent in the South and East at opposite ends of the calendar year.

However, if we were particularly concerned about the consequences of regional disruption, then I'm sure we could find the political will to unify the state's public holidays.

It wouldn't be particularly complicated, and we could begin with unifying Recreation Day and the Royal Hobart Regatta into one whole state public holiday.

Of course, I note that it shouldn't be difficult but it is Tasmania after all, the state of consensus impossible.

There would be positive consequences, including for tourism, and certainty for employees and employers along with vulnerable members of our community who are dependent on the certainty of community and government services.

And for those in ever increasing statewide jobs, they could plan family or recreation time.

However, to initiate a change, we need to understand our public holiday history.

In the Southern and Eastern parts of the state, the Royal Hobart Regatta held on the second Monday of each February, "...began in 1838 to commemorate the discovery of Tasmania. Today sees around 40,000 visitors to the three-day event with the most visual excitement being the dance of sails of all sizes on boats as they skate along the waterways".

Whereas, in the Northern half of the state, Recreation Day was "...originally instituted because Hobart and southern Tasmania had one more holiday than did the Northern parts of the island, but there is no historic or cultural significance to why it is celebrated. The holiday is centred especially in Launceston, though it is observed in towns throughout the region. It was called "First Monday of November Holiday" from 1919, when it was instituted under the Bank Holidays Act, until 1989, when its name was changed to Recreation Day".

Therefore, it makes sense to ditch Recreation Day to fix one of the anomalies, although I doubt many Tasmanians realise that the Royal Hobart Regatta commemorates the "discovery" of Tasmania.

Unifying public holidays is possible, and there are examples from around the world where contentious public holidays have been extended South to North.

Saint Patrick's Day, held on his 17th March birthday, commemorates the conversion of the Irish to Christianity from Paganism (nature-worshipping) by Saint Patrick during the fifth century.

A feast to celebrate the transition is first recorded to have taken place during the 17th century, although it may have become tradition far earlier.

Yet it wasn't until 1903 that the feast, observed only by Catholics, became a public holiday for the whole of Ireland.

And believe it or not, it was once a public holiday where alcohol was banned!

There are times in Tasmania when we overcomplicate matters.

We are very fortunate to live in a state where we can protest when we disagree, but we must ensure that the greater good is our quest and not creating a public nuisance nor campaigning for issues that, at the core, are just subtle disagreements.