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Welcome to the PRONI Express

Welcome to the latest edition of the PRONI Express. PRONI will now be using the DfC Engaged Communities Group Eventbrite page to host our talks and events. So please follow and keep an eye on the page for all our upcoming events. 

New Collection Systems Live

PRONI has introduced a new Catalogue Ordering System in the Search Room. If you have any questions about the new system, staff at the Help Desk can help you get started.

 Extended opening on Thursdays and Saturdays 

Until November 2025, onsite at PRONI

We are extending our opening hours on selected dates throughout 2025.

During extended opening on Thursdays, the Search Room and Reading Room will be open until 8pm so that everyone has an opportunity to access our facilities.

We will also be open on selected Saturdays from 10am to 2:00pm.

Late Night Thursdays:

Thursday 18 September
Thursday 16 October
Thursday 20 November

Saturday Openings:

Saturday 6 September
Saturday 4 October
Saturday 1 November

History of Photography Workshops 

Wednesday 10 September, 2pm to 3pm, onsite at PRONI

Have you ever been intrigued by the scientific developments which gave rise to the discovery of photographic processes in the early 19th century?

Join us for a photography session at PRONI and we will explore technological advances in photography from the early days of the 1840s, up to the present, digital age. The workshop will also look at the work of the Reprographics team and explore historical photographs from the PRONI collections.

Booking required.

Call for Papers: The 1925 Irish Boundary Commission Centenary Conference

To mark the centenary of the Irish Boundary Commission, we will be hosting an Irish Studies conference on 7 November 2025. The conference will focus on both the 1925 Irish Boundary Commission and the wider topic of the partition of Ireland, its roots and its impact.

Papers are expected to be 15 minutes. Proposals should have a maximum word count of 300, alongside a short biography of 150 words.

Any proposals or queries regarding the conference need to be sent by 1 October 2025 to boundarycommission100@gmail.com

Now We're Talking - Collecting Folklore

Image Courtesy of the National Folklore Collection, M004.25.00014

The Now We’re Talking project is rolling on as planned. This month, PRONI team member Seán visited The National Folklore Collection in UCD to learn more about Murphy’s career with The Irish Folklore Commission and The Department of Irish Folklore.

Michael J. stands out amongst his colleagues as being a unique collector of folklore. As is reflected in his diaries he had the ability to capture the humanity of his experiences and the people he was speaking to. He preferred to type his material meaning that he was able to make carbon copies of everything he submitted to the Folklore Commission. Much of this material can be viewed in D4642/3 and D4642/4 in the PRONI Catalogue

Check out Seán's vlog to see the progress to date on the cataloguing of this collection.

Belfast Maritime Festival 

Saturday 6 September from 11am to 4pm,Titanic Quarter

PRONI Ref – CAB/3/G/1/3

Join us in September and experience the transformation of Belfast’s spectacular waterfront into a vibrant celebration of sea, ships, stories and shared experiences for the Belfast Maritime Festival.

Stretching across the Maritime Mile, the festival invites locals and visitors alike to dive into a weekend of discovery. The iconic Titanic Quarter will be alive with activity, bringing together heritage, innovation and imagination across multiple themed zones.

Come and say hello to our friendly staff who will be on hand to answer any of your research questions at the PRONI stall.

No booking required.

Mutiny on the Olympic

Monday 8 September from 7pm to 8pm, onsite at PRONI

Join us alongside author Mark Chirnside for a historic talk on the “Mutiny on the Olympic”.

Olympic was preparing to sail from Southampton for New York on 24 April 1912, a fortnight after her sister Titanic had left the same port on her maiden voyage. Many lifeboats had been placed aboard, but plenty of people were on edge following the disaster.

Minutes before she was about to depart, some of the ship’s crew went ashore and refused to sail. In this talk, you will learn of the extraordinary events which led to her voyage being cancelled and several of her crewmen appearing in court.

Booking required.

EHOD - The Workhouses of Ulster

Friday 12 September from 1pm to 2:30pm, onsite at PRONI

This talk by historian Dr Robyn Atcheson explores the workhouses of Ulster from their introduction in the nineteenth century through to today. It will explain how workhouses were chosen as the means of relieving Irish poverty, how they differed from their English counterparts and how they were designed to reflect the strict and regimented life within.

By using examples from across Ulster, we will look at how many workhouses survive and why before a discussion of how to appropriately commemorate this dark piece of our shared heritage.

Booking Required.

EHOD - Behind the Scenes Tour of PRONI

Saturday 13 September from 10am to 4pm, onsite at PRONI

European Heritage Open Days (EHOD) is an annual event celebrating local architecture, history and culture, which takes place across Europe on the second weekend in September.

On Saturday 13 September, PRONI will once again open its doors to offer tours of the archive, highlighting how we record, care for and make available Northern Ireland’s heritage. Behind-the-scenes tours will be available for booking at 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, and 3:00pm.

Booking required.

Montalto: History and Wildlife with a focus on The Battle of Ballynahinch

Thursday 25 September from 1pm to 2pm, onsite at PRONI

In this illustrated talk, the writer and journalist Paul Clements will speak about the year he spent living in a cottage in the Montalto woods of Co Down.

His talk reflects aspects of the 260-year-old history of the mansion house where five dynasties have lived, and which was the scene of major fighting in 1798. The Battle of Ballynahinch was part of the Rebellion by the United Irishmen and was fought in Ednavady Hill in the Montalto grounds.

The talk will also consider the changing seasons, wildlife, trees and the woodland flora recorded by Paul in detail in his journal. This is a local study of historic change in one place and reflects how Montalto has become a magnificent 21st century showpiece garden that is once again as compelling as its past and worthy of the 18th century heritage from which it stems.

Booking required.

SAVE THE DATE: Autumn in the Archives: Halloween at PRONI

Saturday 4 October from 10am to 2pm, onsite at PRONI

Join us on Saturday 4 October for our very first Halloween event at PRONI. Activities available will include Linen Embroidery, Pumpkin Painting, and a Spooky Behind-the-Scenes Tour.

More details coming soon!

Booking will be required for workshops.

Home for Heroes: Centenary of the Ex-Servicemen's Houses at Cregagh

Thursday 9 October from 1pm to 2pm, onsite at PRONI

PRONI Ref - CAB/3/G/1/3

A week after the Armistice in 1918, the British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, gave a speech in which he declared the necessity of building a land fit for heroes to live in.

The following year, parliament passed the Irish Land (Provision for Sailors and Soldiers) Act which paved the way for the building of houses across Ireland specifically for veterans of the Great War. The largest group of ex-servicemen's houses were built at Cregagh, where 146 houses were completed by December 1925.

This talk will include details of the site and the styles of the houses built at Cregagh but will focus on stories for a selection of the Great War veterans who lived in the houses. The talk will also include details on the unveiling and dedication of the Cregagh & District War Memorial, which is located at the junction of three of the main streets in the "colony".

Booking required.

Getting started at PRONI -Workshop

Thursday 16 October at 6pm, onsite at PRONI

Are you interested in local and family history? Why not come along to a practical workshop at PRONI to discover the essential skills required to begin your research?

You will receive advice on searching for records, take part in a practical demonstration on using the Public Search Room, and there will be an opportunity to handle original documents in the Reading Room.

Booking required.

PRONI on YouTube

View over 12 years of recorded PRONI talks on our YouTube channel.  From family and local history talks, to specialist research topics, there is sure to be something for everyone.

New recordings are added regularly. Subscribe today to make sure you don’t miss any!

Subscribe on YouTube

Admission to all events is FREE, however booking is essential as spaces are limited.

Get more great PRONI content by following us today - just click or tap the icons to find our pages. PRONI regularly records its public events and talks - view these on our YouTube channel.