WILL PEOPLE still play hurling in Ireland a hundred years from now? Will they still read newspapers, use euro coins, watch DVDs, need mobile phones or heat their homes with oil?
In case not, clues to these and other customs and traditions of early 21st century life have been sealed in a time capsule to be opened in 2108. It was "interred" yesterday in the grounds of MacDonagh Junction, a new shopping centre in Kilkenny.
To prevent the capsule suffering moisture damage it was designed without a lock, sealed by 50 bolts and buried in a small crypt, encased in concrete, above the natural water table.
Local residents had suggested an array of items to be included among the capsule's contents with the best ideas selected following a competition. They include a hurley, signed by some of the game's great players - Henry Shefflin, DJ Carey and Eddie Keher; essays by pupils of St John's Primary School and Kilkenny College; coins from each of the euro zone countries; flower seeds; a Kylie Minogue CD; a copy of the 1916 Proclamation; a flask of fuel oil; and local and national newspapers and magazines, including a copy of yesterday's Irish Times.
In the event that Kilkenny is swallowed up by the suburban sprawl of ever-expanding Dublin, there's a written description of life on a farm.
With advances in medical science and increasing life-expectancy, there's a reasonable possibility that Emma and Leagh Phelan from the village of Urlingford could still be alive to retrieve the mobile phone "with credit" which they submitted.
Guests at the ceremony included Minister of State John McGuinness who placed both the national and EU flags inside the 4ft x 2ft x 2ft polished stainless-steel chest. Beethoven's Ode to Joy was played - a PR spokesman said Amhrán na bhFiann was "unavailable".
There was no member of the clergy present to bless proceedings. Opposition politicians were also conspicuously absent.
Donie Butler, manager of MacDonagh Junction said: "The time capsule is intended primarily to be of social interest" rather than "a comprehensive historical record". Mayor Marie Fitzpatrick unveiled a plaque marking the burial site. The opening ceremony is scheduled for Leap Year Day, 2108 which is a Wednesday.