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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.
Local history groups - we want to hear from you!
Are you part of a local or family history group?
Want a change of surroundings for your next branch meeting?
Then why not contact us at proni@communities-ni.gov.uk to see if we can facilitate you and your group.
Not only can you meet up and discuss your local interests, but you can also make use of our expansive range of archival documents and avail of free resources such as Ancestry, FindMyPast and the British Newspaper Archive.
Extended opening on Thursdays and Saturdays until November 2025
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 2pm.
For more info on our extended opening hours and to view the selected dates, please see our website.
No 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 Project - Idioms and Expressions Blog
Along with Nerve Centre, we were awarded the first consortium grant by the Archives Revealed programme for “Now We’re Talking”.
The “Now We’re Talking” project will catalogue and widen access to the archives of two significant cultural figures: Sam Hanna Bell and Michael J Murphy.
Check out Sean's vlog to see the progress to date on the cataloguing of Michael J Murphy's collections of local idioms and expressions!
Femina Culpa, Poems of the Female Criminal
Thursday 5 June at 1pm - onsite at PRONI
We are delighted to invite you to a lunchtime session of poetry readings and panel discussion by writers, Emma McKervey, Kelly Creighton, Linda McKenna and Milena Williamson using themes from their books – historical research, archival materials, and the female working class voice and portrayal in the 19th century, especially their representation through the press.
Booking required.
Getting Started at PRONI - Workshop
Saturday 7 June at 11am - 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.
You will need to register as a reader to attend this workshop if you have not already done so. To get registered please bring some form of photographic ID on the day of this event.
Booking required.
PRONI on Tour at Warrenpoint Library
Thursday 12 June from 10am to 4pm - Onsite at Warrenpoint Library
In June, we will be making a visit to Warrenpoint Library as part of PRONI on Tour.
This visit will include a Getting Started Workshop designed to help you start to build your family tree using PRONI records and a wealth of online resources.
It is also a chance for you to ask your questions directly to PRONI staff.
No booking is required to attend Warrenpoint Library and chat to staff. If you would like to attend the workshop, then booking is required.
HERoNI Lecture Series: The Irish High Cross - Origins, Revival and Replicas
Friday 13 June at 1pm - onsite at PRONI
In celebration of European Archaeology Days (EAD), this lecture will explore the origins and chronological development of the High Cross and its later revivals.
Irish High Crosses are some of the most iconic and evocative of our ancient monuments. They are highly decorated masterpieces of Early Medieval sculpture in stone. During the 19th century in Ireland the ancient High Cross captured the attention of artists and sculptors of the “Celtic Revival”, most notably Henry O’Neill.
Booking required.
HERoNI Exhibition - Stories in Stone: Early Medieval Sculpture
Friday 13 June until August 2025 - onsite at PRONI
Stories in Stone showcases images of High crosses and early medieval sculpture from across Northern Ireland. This sculpture takes the form of simple cross inscribed stones, enigmatic figurative sculpture and monumental High Crosses. A selection of photographs and drawings from Historic Environment Record of Northern Irelands (HERoNI’s) collections are on display as well as a collection of early medieval cross inscribed stones from Nendrum Monastic site County Down.
No 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.
Visiting PRONI
We are open to the public daily, you do not need to make an appointment before visiting. You can find full information on our opening hours and preparing for a visit on our website.
Keep up to date with PRONI on Social media
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.
Department for Communities
Causeway Exchange
1-7 Bedford Street
Belfast BT2 7EG