Under the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019 the amount of parental leave that you can take has increased from 18 weeks to 26 weeks. This was phased in over a 2-year period. Since 1 September 2020, you can take up to 26 weeks parental leave.
If you have already taken some (or all) of your previous entitlement of parental leave per child, you can still take the extra parental leave, if your child is still eligible.
If you have more than one child, parental leave is limited to 18 weeks in a 12-month period. This can be longer if your employer agrees. Parents of twins or triplets can take more than 18 weeks of parental leave in a year.
Find out more on the Citizens Advice website: https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/employment_rights_and_conditions/leave_and_holidays/parental_leave.html