Tallaght Training Centre designing and fabricating TCC time capsule

A TIME capsule documenting how people experienced the Covid-19 pandemic in Tallaght will feature contributions from across the community, including schoolchildren, the Tallaght Training Centre and the Square Shopping Centre.

The ‘Our Covid Experience Time Capsule’ project is being spearheaded by Tallaght Community Council (TCC).

The items in the capsule should reflect gratitude, sacrifice, loss or service as experienced by the people of Tallaght during the pandemic, from February 2020 to February 2022.

The project is being backed by many in the community, such as learners from the DDLETB’s Tallaght Training Centre who are designing and fabricating the time capsule.

Deirdre McKeon, manager of the Tallaght Training Centre, said: “Tallaght Training Centre has had more than 40 years’ association with the Tallaght community, through various local partnerships and training interventions.

“Emmet Ronan, our welding instructor, together with our learners, is delighted to be invited to design and create this Covid-19 time capsule.

“It is a great opportunity for the class to consolidate and showcase their welding and fabrication skills in addition to assisting the local community in this wonderful initiative.”

The time capsule will be buried on Monday, March 14, 2022 and will be re-opened in 2080, marking 60 years after the arrival of Covid-19 in Ireland, and a time when many school children in Tallaght during Covid will be approaching or in retirement.

This was at the forefront of the minds of the children in Ms Morrin’s class in St Mark’s Community School in Springfield, when they wrote letters to their future selves to be buried in the capsule.

Ms Morrin said: “We decided to do it across our history department to mark this historical event, demonstrating to the students that they were living through history and that it was important to keep a record of it, just as historians will rely on records from the past to help their understanding of what happened.

“My biggest memory from teaching during Covid is probably online teaching. Trying to keep your students engaged and happy over a screen, it felt a bit surreal.”

The fact that retail staff also played an essential role during the pandemic will be reflected in input from the Square Shopping Centre, which wants to commit to history the experiences of the staff and businesses in the shopping centre during the pandemic.

Daniel, Deirdre, Emmet, Jason, Gerard and Rossa

Fiona Power, commercial manager of The Square, said: “We have added a collection of photos, videos, documents, and memorabilia from key events at The Square during the pandemic.

“From our 30th birthday in October 2020, where we shared the stories of retail workers going above and beyond to look after our customers, to our ‘Be Kind’ campaign and the generosity of customers and stores donating to care packs for the hospital.

“The Square’s contribution honours the uplifting spirit of our community, who got us through this turbulent time.”

Editions of The Echo from the height of pandemic, marking key news milestones and stories reported on during that time, will also be placed in the time capsule.

Emma Kennedy, MD of The Echo, said: “The Echo has been a voice for our community for over 40 years now.

“Deemed a vital service during the Covid-19 pandemic, The Echo was able to tell the stories of our local communities and frontline heroes over the last two years.

“It has been an honour and an extremely humbling experience. We are delighted to be providing some newspapers for the time capsule, representing a documented history of our community spirit and resilience during the pandemic.”

TCC also held a call-out for members of the community to submit items for the capsule, which will be accepted until March 10.

According to Liz Kennedy, voluntary chair of TCC, this call-out has been well received by the Tallaght community.

“We are delighted with the community response so far to our call-out to be part of the Covid-19 time capsule project,” said Ms Kennedy.

“Tallaght schools, businesses, individuals and institutions have already come forward with ideas, offers of help and submissions that epitomise living with Covid-19, to place in the capsule.”

Small items, which should be smaller than the size of a football, are still being accepted for the capsule until Thursday, March 10.

All requests to add a submission should be made to TCC at tallaghtperson@gmail.com