"It's the silence and the views you get driving through Dublin city at whatever time of day or night that I think I’ll remember from this most challenging of times for so many of us, as we lead this completely different type of life compared to what we’ve been used to.
"When I’m not at home with my family, I legally, as a working journalist, drive to the RTÉ studios to present 6.1 News. On one evening recently as I returned home along Dublin’s usually thronged Pearse Street at 7.30pm, I was the only car on the road. I have a dashcam on board, and I’ve been downloading some of my drives and keeping a record of the streetscapes to remind us how these days were.
My drive home from @rtenews through Dublin's usually busy centre, has become a very solitary affair. A lonesome, but good feeling. Thank you everybody. #StayAtHome #COVID2019 #Covid_19ireland (reminder; working journalists are allowed travel to work) pic.twitter.com/L1xWBsJoOs
— Ray Kennedy (@RayKennedyNews) April 13, 2020
"The views of the city are different too, I am able to see into the distance now. From Mount Street to Lincoln Place uninterrupted is quite the vista, from Holles Street up to Adelaide Road in perfect clarity is striking.
"There are few cars, and fewer people most of the time and the air is clear. I’ve got used to seeing long queues outside shops as I drive around. These are some of the things that stand out.
"There are Garda checkpoints too, and they are working hard at enforcing and reminding us why we must observe the restrictions and keep our communities safe. As do our healthcare workers who are manning the trenches at the frontline.
"Then it's a question of doing research at home, staying on top of the story and liaising with producers and editors about the latest information in the Covid-19 crisis, and making my way to the studios and back.
It is a health crisis that is hitting to the heart of so many homes across Ireland and the world. It’s a difficult story to cover because it affects all of us and everyone we know.
The previous crises I’ve covered as a journalist don’t compare.
"When snow and storms close the country for a few days or maybe a week, you always know the snow will at some stage melt. When the ash cloud struck, planes were grounded but everything else functioned normally.
"At home, we are getting by. We have a Leaving Cert and a Junior Cert student in the house so the stress levels can be high as they contemplate what will happen next.
"To be fair to them they have been concentrating on their studies and we haven't trodden on each other’s toes too much! My wife luckily can work from home.
"We have time now to sit down for dinner and chat as a family almost every evening, whereas everybody was previously too busy for that a lot of the time - certainly daily.
"We live close to Clontarf seafront so a walk on the promenade is well within our two-kilometre limit and it is also noticeable how fresh the sea air is; maybe it’s our imagination. There are benefits to this, one of those is time and another is the silence we may well miss when this is over. We have time to spend with each other.
"Keeping fit is important for me and I cobbled together a form of a home gym but I’m also an avid cyclist.
"The two-kilometre limit is a challenge for cycling, but in fact once you set your mind to it and devise a route around your neighbourhood it’s amazing how many kilometres you can clock up by cycling around in circles for 30 minutes!
"The advantage is getting to know and appreciate your surroundings a bit more.
"I’ve been catching up on reading. I’ve just finished The New Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan and I’m about to embark on Airhead by the BBC’s Emily Maitliss about the life a news broadcaster on the road.
"I started off this shutdown period with a DIY list as long as your arm, I quite enjoy doing jobs around the house but the list is starting to dwindle, thankfully, there’s a limit to nails and shelving you can call fulfilling.
"As a guilty pleasure, I’m really enjoying all the classic movies being shown on RTE One and all of the other online services such as Netflix.
"So far we’ve gone through everything from the sublime Casablanca to the game-changing Once Upon A Time In The West.
"Sky Movies has a section called "Now is the time to watch it"; referring to some major blockbuster or classic you never got around to viewing - I have to stop myself from seeing which classic movies they’ve picked for the day or I wouldn’t get up off the couch.
"During this time, we are confined to our homes, waiting for daily updates on tragic deaths and confirmed cases. Unable to visit friends, parents, loved ones.
"Working if we are lucky enough to still have a job and venturing out only to queue for the supermarket and stay as far away from our fellow humans as possible.
"This will pass, and the world will emerge from it. But I can’t help thinking we will be changed by what we have experienced, seen, feared and perhaps enjoyed.
"Like the other evening, when we all came out of our homes with our neighbours to shine a light and speak to each other from a distance, but at least we all got to say hello again."
