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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. 

Easter Closure Notice

PRONI Ref - INF/7/A/17/86

PRONI will be closed on Monday 6 April and Tuesday 7 April for Easter.

We will also be closed on Saturday 4 of April as part of the Easter holidays. Extended opening hours will resume with a late-night opening on Thursday 16 April.

Extended opening on Thursdays and Saturdays in 2026

April to June 2026, Onsite at PRONI

We are extending our opening hours through 2026.

The Search Room and Reading Room will be open until 8pm on selected Thursdays and from 10am to 2pm on selected Saturdays so that everyone has an opportunity to access our facilities.

Thursday 10am to 8pm:

Thursday 16 April
Thursday 21 May
Thursday 18 June

Saturday 10am to 2pm:

Saturday 2  May
Saturday 6 June

We remain open as normal on other weekdays 9am to 4.45pm.

No booking required.

 PRONI Public WiFi - Disruption to Service 

Due to essential maintenance and infrastructure upgrading, PRONI’s public Wi-Fi is unavailable to all customers until further notice. 

Public internet machines on the ground floor (i.e. in the Heritage Café) are no longer available.

Public internet continues to be available on the internet machines in the Public Search Room.  

Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Current Exhibition - A Centenary of Care: 100 Years of the Ancient Monuments (NI) 1926

Open now until Fri 17 April, Onsite at PRONI

This year, the Historic Environment Record of Northern Ireland (HERoNI) celebrates a century of protecting Northern Ireland’s past. The Ancient Monuments Act 1926 was a turning point, the first legislation for Northern Ireland safeguarding archaeological monuments. It gave the Ministry of Finance, with advice from archaeologists and leading public figures in the form of an advisory committee, the power to schedule monuments, issue Preservation Orders, and bring sites into State Care. The results were remarkable, within a few years, 330 monuments were scheduled and 28 placed in State Care. 

To mark its arrival, HM Stationery Office published Ancient Monuments of Northern Ireland, a guide to 22 of the 25 monuments then in state care. This exhibition, presents photographs from HERoNI and stories of 40 monuments now under state care, including those original 22. Today, Northern Ireland’s Historic Environment Division (HED) manages 187 State Care Monuments and more than 2,000 Scheduled Historic Monuments.

No booking required.

Shadows of Light: Victorian Photography Archives in PRONI

Fri 3 April from 1pm - 2pm, Onsite at PRONI

Photography in the late nineteenth century was more than a technical innovation; it was a cultural revolution. The Victorians embraced the camera as a tool of memory, identity, and discovery. Portraits preserved family ties across generations, while landscapes and street photography documented the transformation of towns and countryside. PRONI’s collections reveal how photography shaped public and private life, offering us a lens into Victorian values, aspirations and anxieties.

Join us for this lunchtime talk as PRONI archivist Brett Irwin looks at the fascinating developments in photography during the late 19th century exploring the work of professional photographers and very talented amateurs alike that reveal how photography flourished in the North of Ireland during this period.

Booking required.

The First Great Titanic & Belfast Maritime Quiz

Tues 14 April from 2:30pm – 4pm, Onsite at PRONI

Join us at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) for the first ever Titanic & Belfast Maritime Quiz.

Using information contained within PRONI’s archive treasures, guests can pit themselves against one another to be crowned the first ever PRONI Titanic & Belfast Maritime Champion.

This is an opportunity for anoraks and absolute beginners alike – no formal academic qualifications or experience on quizzes is necessary!

There will also be an opportunity to view original material relating to Belfast’s maritime heritage.

Booking required.

'Hands across the Border - the Irish fire services’ - Belfast Blitz

Thurs 16 April from 1pm – 2pm, Onsite at PRONI

In partnership with the Northern Ireland War Memorial (NIWM), we welcome you to a talk by historian Las Fallon exploring the Irish fire services’ response to the Belfast Blitz of April and May 1941.

When Belfast faced the heavy air raid of 15 April 1941, all local resources were stretched to breaking point. Faced with destruction and casualties on a massive scale, the Stormont Government reached out to the government in Dublin for help. This was a huge step between the two governments, which had both been born out of the Irish Revolution of 1916-1922 but which had largely ignored each other in the years since.

It was an event in which human needs replaced old rivalries and disputes, and aid to the stricken city was dispatched without question, despite Éire’s wartime neutrality.

This talk has been kindly supported by a grant from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Reconciliation Fund.

Booking required.

German Air Raids: Belfast Civil Defence Services fatalities

Fri 17 April from 1pm – 2pm, Onsite at PRONI

In partnership with History Hub Ulster, we welcome you to a talk by Nigel Henderson on “Belfast Civil Defence Services fatalities”.

The Belfast Civil Defence Services memorial tablet in Belfast City Hall was unveiled by the Lord Mayor, Alderman Sir Percival Brown, on 5th May 1955. The tablet records the names of 34 fatalities - 28 from Air Raid Precautions (ARP), four from the Auxiliary Fire Service, one from the Women's Voluntary Service, and one from the British Red Cross Society. The Civilian Roll of Honour records that a further six air raid fatalities were members of the ARP but who are not commemorated on the memorial tablet.

The talk will provide biographical details on a representative selection of the fatalities commemorated on the memorial tablet and will also provide biographical details on two ARP fatalities not commemorated on the tablet. The talk will briefly refer to the firewatchers who died on duty during the air raids.

Booking required.

Finishing off Stitch Your Bit

Monday 27 April from 10am-1pm and 2pm-4.45pm, Onsite at PRONI

Almost year ago, a collaborative sewing activity, developed by Ciaran Doran took place at PRONI to remember, through stitch and conversation, the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, 8 May 2025.

Since then, with over 200 participants, and using pre-loved fabrics and gifted linens, regular sewing sessions and contact a unique piece of work has emerged. Through successive events over the past year, the piece has grown and shares some amazing stories of both love, hardship, separation and loss.

Please join us to complete the finishing off, there’s some embroidery left to do and also we need to record all the details that are hand written on the white luggage labels. It will be a lovely opportunity for anyone who has taken part to drop in and see all the work.

Booking required.

German Air Raids: Destroyed Churches and Lost War Memorials

Thurs 7 May from 1pm –2pm, Onsite at PRONI

In partnership with History Hub Ulster, we welcome you to a talk by Nigel Henderson.

During the German air on Belfast in April and May 1941, seventy-one places of worship were damaged, with eighteen buildings being destroyed or demolished. There was significant damage to twelve churches, necessitating the suspension of services. The damage to the remaining forty-one religious buildings was not sufficient to impede services being held.

This talk will focus on the eighteen religious buildings that were destroyed or had to be demolished, and will include reference to the Great War memorials that were lost. The talk will also cover the reconstruction of the destroyed or demolished churches and, for those that were not rebuilt, there will be references to the merging of congregations.

Booking required.

Coming Soon - A brand new PRONI website!

We’re delighted to share that a brand-new PRONI website is on the way! Built with our users and community in mind, the refreshed site will make it easier than ever to explore our collections, discover local history, and keep up with events and workshops.

Watch this space for more info!

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.