Some retailers, including Penneys, will have extended opening hours.

Non-essential retail across Ireland is reopening today after almost five months closed. Penneys, H&M, Zara, and all those other shops you've been dying to get back into are officially reopening today, May 17, many with extended opening hours. All non-essential stores closed in Ireland towards the end of 2020 following a sharp increase in Covid cases across the country. Penneys reopened for shopping by appointment last week with over a quarter of a million people booking a 45 minute slot with the retailer. As stores reopen for regular shopping, earlier opening and later closing hours will be enforced going forward. Penneys opening hours, which can be found by store here, have been extended to allow for reduced queues and to give customers "more time to shop safely." "We are delighted at how popular our shopping by appointment bookings this week have proven with over 250,000 appointments made so far," a Penneys spokesperson said in a statement last week. "It’s been wonderful to be able to welcome so many customers back this week, and for those who missed out on a slot, they won’t have too much longer to wait as all Irish stores will be open to everyone from next Monday with extended hours in each one." This comes after an Irish TikToker wore a Penneys uniform to sneak into the store without an appointment last week. User @r_ellis4 last week managed to secure a Penneys uniform to access the store ahead of the full reopening on 17 May. She said: "Right so I'm in a real big hurry because I'm actually on my way to Penneys and I didn't get a Penneys appointment, but, I'm after getting my hands on this top. "I am buzzing, can you tell how happy I am with my Penneys bag? And that's how it's done, guys," she concluded.