@Aengus O Connor: If distancing is observed in the same manner, then what’s the difference? If anything, DIY centres have aisles much wider than supermarkets. Being able to occupy yourself at home means less people out and about. We need to look after our mental health during these difficult times. A bit of gardening, painting, putting a shelf together etc. can help people stay sane.

@Johnny 5: there is a difference but you make reasonable argument.

@Johnny 5: The difference is that supermarkets aren’t great and you risk exposure there, but you HAVE to buy food. You don’t HAVE to buy hardware stuff, so you’re just exposing yourself unnecessarily. Using mental health as an excuse is a cop out, there are a million things you could be doing instead. You can also buy online from woodies or any number of other places. It’s pretty simple.

@Johnny 5: You seem to not understand that supermarkets are open because they provide essential items like food needed to live, not because they happen to have isles spaced widely apart.

I’m also really tired of people claiming mental health reasons because they’re feeling a bit bored, you’re not going to go insane having to find something else to do for the next couple of weeks.
Also DIY shops are mostly open, you just have to order online which is another reason I suspect this is more to do with inconvenience and boredom.

@Johnny 5: there’s a big difference because the more shops/ public buildings that are open, the higher the risk of the virus spreading. Surely varnishing your deck can wait?

@Rochelle: yeah i keep hearing about mental health. We are being asked to stay home and watch telly or paint the shed or whatever, not go to war. Surely as a nation we can do this unscathed?? I know its hard not seeing parents etc but with skype and other formats that is easier to deal with now too.

@Rochelle: You obviously think boredom and depression aren’t that different to come out with a statement like that. You shouldn’t belittle mental illness in such a manner. Not everyone needs a tablet to get through the day. Some people just need a purpose, and cocooning on their own is a very lonely process without something to do.

@Brian Dunne: you keep hearing about mental health but you obviously know little about it. You sound like one of the “get over it” brigade.

@Thomas O’ Donnell: you clearly know nothing about gardening. We are out every day, cutting down hedges,clearing ivy,and pruning. This is necessary work, and would be done even if the virus didn’t exist. We’ve also had to cut a few bits down for safety. Ivy strangles plants and causes them to rot. This can cause dangers. My dad has hadto replace his hedge trimmer in the past week because of the work were doing.

Oh, and this is just stuff we are doing in our own garden. It’s a 365 job,maintaining it.

@Johnny 5: I don’t think that at all but I’ve noticed a phenomenon during this pandemic of people who’ve never mentioned mental health concerns before suddenly expressing concern in the area and citing the solution as trivial things such as going to the beach or hardware shops.

@Johnny 5: ok let me have another go. I totally understand there are thousands of people suffering with mental health issues in this country. This pandemic must be making things even harder and they have my absolute and genuine sympathy. I was talking more about lads sitting at home bored. I should have made that more clear. And please don’t assume i know nothing about mental health problems.

@Rochelle: using working in the garden for your mental health isn’t always a result of boredom. My parents are using it as our form of exercise. When you have a garden as big as ours, hardware stores are necessary, as gardening is a 365 job. We’ve had to replace a hedge trimmer so far this year. We are not trimming hedges for fun,wear doing it because they need to be cut back, or it gets too dangerous. We also Grow some of our own food. Always have done. That requires care and work. We’ve also had to replenish our stocks of ant powder,which required going to a hardware store. We found anTs building a nest around some electrics… do you know how dangerous that is? We’ve been cutting timber,which we use on our fire. It was gathered from hedge and tree cutting we did months ago, which was dried out some bit. A lot of what were cutting now will be used for fuel in the future. This requires saw,gloves and other necessities. We have big water tanks that collect rain water. We use that water on the garden when it’s not raining,before we go for the main system. We also have composting facilities in the garden, which doesn’t need much, but sometimes needs a little purchased food.

So,maybe for someone decided to try gardening as a new thing a hardware store isn’t a necessity. But for people that have established gardens, orfarmers even, because farms are even bigger projects, they are a necessity.

And thing is, being out in the garden,doing the work we are doing is phenomenal for our mental health. We are active, we are doing things that make us feel that yeah, we’ve done something productive. We are encountering nature – we’ve seen butterflies this week we’ve never seen before. We actually have very little time most daysto watch tv, or get frustrated by the inability to travel anywhere.

And mental health problems can crop up at any time. Being required to stay away from friends and family is very much something that would trigger such problems. Hell, I sank into a serious bout of depression a couple of years ago, when I lost my ability to taste anything. It was a very small issue,but because it lasted 8 months, it ended up having g a profound effect on my mental health,ata timewgen i had actually been doing really well… and it was the start of a year and a half where things went from bad to worse, because my mental health was tanking, that I ended up homeless,begging on the streets, unable to get help from homeless charities because I wasnt a parent, and wasnt someone with substance abuse issues. I ended up moving back to my parents after they learned what had happened, in the middle of february. I can honestly say,my mental health has drastically improved since then, and a lot of that is down to working hard in the Garden.

@Mirabelle Stonegate: Do you have a big garden?

@Rochelle: Maybe they’ve never mentioned their mental health before because they’ve never lived through a pandemic and been forced to isolate for weeks on end.

@Rochelle: you have noticed people who have never had mental health concerns suddenly having them?? Now?? In a PANDEMIC??how very odd…forgive my sarcasm.However have you any idea how the depressed,anxious or even restless mind behaves when there is a sense of loss of control .and that’s exactly what has happened here a loss of control,for us all .often getting those niggly things around the house in order is akin to getting things in order in your. These things once noticed and left undone can actually keep the anxious mind awake at night and manifest into something else far beyond. I think this is all Johnny 5 was trying to Express. Places like choice and dealz are open with great systems in place,so woodies wouldnt be unlike these stores

@Brian Dunne: I wouldn’t assume that and if I’ve come across that way, I apologise. Not everyone isolating is a 30 year old who’s binge watching Netflix every day with a bag of cans. I’ve 2 young kids myself and it’s a struggle finding different things to do with them each day. I just feel that if off licences can open then surely a DIY centre can too. Putting a shelf together or painting a fence is an afternoon well spent with the kids. Good for my mental well being and theirs.

@Terrence Edwards: well why dont all supermarkets go delivery only. Move all staff to picking and delivery.

No no of course not

@Johnny 5: yeah we shouldn’t lose sight that we are all in this together. Stay safe.

@Lisa Quinn: and please dont dismiss anyone who sites concerns for their mental health.yea sure they may not have had issues before but they do now.as i said to my 19 yr old daughter,both of us seasoned pros dealing with our mental health,we can identify when we are anxious/depressed/scared.its going to be much worse for people who are only noticing differences in their mental health now.,they may not be able to identify what’s happening and when you cant it’s very scary. they are going to try gain control in their head(,afore mentioned control. )please try to be kind and compassionate and dont assume people are exploiting mental health issues just to get a tin of varnish. This pandemic will create a new level of anxiety and depression and someone may need you.Take care of yourself

@Johnny 5: agreed! Woodies and Homebase should open

@Brian Dunne: Will do. You too Brian.

@Thomas O’ Donnell: what about off-licence being open

@Mirabelle Stonegate: Hi there, delighted to see that you are home with your folks, making the most of the lockdown in the garden.Gardening and GIY is so beneficial and way too under-rated.
It’s only when we have hit hard times that we truly appreciate simplicity and gratitude.

Stay safe and well

@Thomas O’ Donnell: some people grow their own food and need supplies to do so

@Johnny 5: it’s ok. I checked. Johnny 5 doesn’t exist lol

@Johnny 5: hardware and diy stores are open all over the country. Many the independents didn’t close, some did and have since reopened. The only ones to remain closed are Woodies, B & Q and the bigger chains.

@Johnny 5: No reason ? You can see no reason ? What reason do you need to stay alive ? woah woah woah We need food son, does that PAINT a clear picture for ya or is your hardware drive fused to overload ? Or do you just not like mondays. Asking for a nation.

@Connoroconner: unfortunately the only 2 within a 2 km radius of where I live are a Woodies and an independent store that remains closed.

@Tom Malone: Then who the **** are you talking to Tom? If that is your real name…

@Shane O’S: sorry to upset you Shane.

@Brian Dunne: so true.

@Mark Johnson: who cares how it’s spelt . Clown

@Gerrard: The facebook grammar police care, tbf

@Mark Johnson: well spotted!!!

@Mark Johnson: well spotted!!!

@Morgan Crowe: be better than the animal farm we have at the moment. We are all equal, some more equal than others

@tom forde: maybe we should increase the social welfare to €350 a week!

@John Jones: they sell phone chargers in a lot of local shops

@Terrence Edwards: I ordered it through addresspal and it hasn’t even reached the UK depot for An Post. The port is ok on the charger it’s the braided wires going into the connector that have frayed so I’m assuming lose connection inside. It’s been good to me though, have it at least 3 years.

@John Jones: Dealz is still open. Their chargers only last about a week but they’re €1.50 so you could buy a rake of them until the amazon one arrives.

@FrustratedASDMum: waste of money so

@John Jones: loads of Irish sellers on Ebay selling these products. Bought a new screen protector and charging cable last week. Arrived the next day.

@John Jones: Total waste of money but if my phone was about to die and I’d no other way of charging it, I’d make do.

@John Jones: I got a charger in Dealz, best €1.50 I ever spent!