7th July 2003

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Councillor calls contents of Time Capsule short-sighted and disappointing

Sinn Fein Councillor Larry O'Toole has criticised the contents of the time capsule which was placed beneath the Spire on O'Connell Street today, at the monuments official opening. The Time Capsule contained a letter from Dermot Lacey, the current Mayor of Dublin, an RTE guide, newspaper cuttings, an Argos catalogue, and some other memorabilia. However Cllr. O'Toole said the capsules contents did not reflect anything about Irish culture, or Dubliners way of life.

He said:

``When people dig up this time capsule in hundreds of years to come, they'll be greeted with the most bland set of contents imaginable. Here we had an opportunity to impart to future generations how the people of this vibrant city lived, and it was chosen to sum that up with items like an Argos Catalogue.

``The capsule could have included a Dublin jersey, or a picture of the Dublin team, something representing the Irish language, perhaps a Clár from TG4, a map of Dublin, and maybe a cd from the Dubliners or Clannad.

``How on earth an Argos catalogue and an RTE guide is supposed to represent us is beyond me. The contents of this capsule were chosen with very short sight, and are very disappointing.''

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