A moment captured in time at Ebrington

The event was staged to mark the opening of Ebrington Square, which took place on Valentine’s Day a fortnight ago, and which attracted thousands of revellers to the picturesque and historic site.

The time capsule was the brainchild of Ilex, the urban regeneration company.

Prior to the opening event on February 14 Ilex had invited the public to suggest items to place in the time capsule to represent the city in 2012. From these suggestions a copy of the One Plan, a cd with images of the city, press cuttings of key events, maps of the city, a collage of memories from our young people, a copy of the Voices DVD and a card to the people in 2112 were placed in the capsule.

Aideen McGinley, Ilex’s Chief Executive, said: “We have made significant progress over the past three years with a clear sense from the One Plan of our future going forward. The opening of Ebrington Square provided the unique opportunity to engage the public in identifying what represents our city in this place and at this time. It will provide a fascinating glimpse of life to the next generation, some of whom have already been born”.

Meanwhile, Kieran Doyle, the Regional Director of SIAC (NI) Ltd, said: “SIAC is delighted to have worked on this prestigious project which will provide a focal point for the City of Culture celebrations and become a lasting legacy for the City. It has been a welcome boost to our ongoing operations and expansion in Northern Ireland”.

Ebrington Square was opened by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and means that Londonderry can now offer a state-of-the-art multi purpose venue space which is linked to the public realm space on the Cityside by the award-winning Peace Bridge.