North Pole time capsule washes up in Ireland

Sophie Curran and Conor McClory found the metallic tube along Bloody Foreland in Gweedore, County Donegal on Sunday

A time capsule that is believed to have travelled nearly 4,000km from the Arctic circle has been found in Gweedore, County Donegal.

Sophie Curran and Conor McClory the surfers who found it, carefully opened the tube to reveal a time capsule from a crew of Russian North Pole explorers.

Inside they found letters, photos and other items from a 2018 polar expedition.

The capsule from 2018 included letters, poems and photos from Russian North Pole explorers

Mr McClory said the two friends came across the strange-looking item when they were out checking on surf conditions.

Inside the capsule they found letters, food menus, badges, drinks mats and a collection of photographs from an ice-breaking ship called The 50 Years of Victory.

The time capsule was created during a trip taking tourists to the North Pole.

Inside the capsule were photographs of the people on board the vessel

Sophie and Conor managed to track down one of the people who had written a letter found in the capsule, Russian Instagrammer Sveta.

Sveta told them the capsule was placed in the Arctic ice and that it must have melted and travelled the massive distance over the two years. She was shocked it had been found so soon.

Ms Curren said: "Most people thought it would have taken 30-50 years before people would find it," said Ms Curran.

"It just shows just how quickly the ice is melting," Mr McClory added.

The pair have sent the other letters, which are written in Russian, to Professor Simon Donohue Nosek in Chicago.

"He speaks Irish, Russian and English and will hopefully translate the rest of the letters that were in the capsule," Mr McClory said.

Have you ever created a time capsule? Let us know in the comments!