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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. 

The new PRONI website is now live!

Thursday 30 April

We’re delighted to announce that our brand-new PRONI website is now live and ready for you to explore!

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.

Click on the Image below to watch our launch video...

May Bank Holidays

PRONI will be closed on Monday 4 May and Monday 25 May for the Bank Holidays.

Extended Opening on Thursdays and Saturdays in 2026!

May – 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 - 8pm:

Thursday 21 May

Thursday 18 June

Saturday 10am – 2pm:

Saturday 2 May

Saturday 6 June

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

 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.

The Balmoral Show

Wed 13 May – Sat 16 May from 9:30am - 4pm,  Eikon Exhibition Centre, Lisburn

We are delighted to announce that we will be attending this year’s Balmoral Show!

Drop in to see us from Wednesday 13 May to Saturday 16 May at the Eikon Exhibition Centre, anytime between 9:30am and 4pm, with any questions about how to get started on your family history research.

Booking is required.

Registrations for EHOD 2026 now open

European Heritage Open Days (EHOD), the annual event celebrating local architecture, history and culture across Northern Ireland, is back this year on September 12th and 13th!

This year’s theme Heritage at Risk: Revive, Resist, Reimagine invites organisers to explore the stories behind the places they care about, airing the physical sites with human voices, memories, crafts and culture to help bring it to life for the public.

The deadline for applications is Sunday the 10^th May.

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 on “Destroyed Churches and Lost War Memorials”

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.

Stitch Your Bit – The Final Stitch

Friday 8 May from 1pm –2pm, Onsite at PRONI   

One year ago today, Ciaran Doran brought her innovative workshop idea to PRONI, 'Stitch Your Bit'. This collaborative workshop invited members of the public to join together through stitch and conversation to mark the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, 8 May 2025.

Using pre-loved fabrics, gifted linens and the sewing skills of almost 200 participants, a unique textile has emerged.

Join us at PRONI to view the completed 'Stitch Your Bit' textile and hear from Ciaran Doran about her reflections on the project to date and her plans it in the future.

Booking required.

Roisín Higgins, 'Embodied Conflict: Sensory Histories of the Troubles'

Thurs 14 May from 6pm –7pm, Onsite at PRONI   

Join the Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies (USIHS) for the annual J.C. Beckett Lecture by Professor Roisín Higgins in partnership with PRONI.

In this lecture, Roisín Higgins talks about her work gathering sensory memories in order to write a different history of the Troubles – one that takes account of the sights, sounds, smells, taste and touch of lived experience. It is through our senses that we encounter and make meaning of the world around us, providing historians with vital insights. From the smell of melted plastic in bomb damage sales, to the touch of a cobbled wall on the day of an atrocity, to the deep silence in the wake of an explosion, Roisín’s research aims to capture these almost forgotten aspects of the conflict and to show the importance of the stories we carry in our bodies.

Booking required.

Getting Started at PRONI Workshop

Thurs 21 May from 6pm-7pm, 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 a presentation highlighting the different types of records available at PRONI for family and local history researchers. You will have the opportunity to receive advice on searching for records, take part in a practical demonstration on using the Public Search Room, and learn how and where you can order out original archival material from the stores.

You do not need to register with PRONI to attend this workshop. However, if you wish to use our services following the workshop, you will need to register at Reception before it begins. Photographic ID is required for registration.

Booking required.

The London Irish and London Pride: Identity, Memory and the Citizen Soldier

Thurs 21 May from 1pm –2pm, Onsite at PRONI

This talk explores the London Irish Rifles within the wider story of London’s Territorial Force during the Great War, setting one distinctive battalion against the social, cultural and military transformation of London’s citizen soldiers between 1908 and 1915. It situates the London Irish within the capital’s long amateur military tradition and examines how a peacetime unit, rooted in civic identity and voluntary service, adapted to the demands of mass mobilisation and modern war.

The presentation examines the formation of the London Irish as a Territorial Force battalion, its recruitment, training and social composition, and the realities behind its supposed ethnic identity. It considers who joined the battalion, how ideas of “Irishness” operated in a London setting, and how officers and men navigated overlapping loyalties to regiment, city and homeland.

This event will be introduced by Tom Thorpe with Stephen Sandford presenting.

Booking required.

Voices from the War Memorial: Witness to the Blitz 85 years on

Thurs 28 May from 1pm –2pm, Onsite at PRONI

This talk is delivered in partnership with the Northern Ireland War Memorial.

This year marks the 85th anniversary of the Northern Irish Blitz, the four devastating air raids in April and May 1941 which resulted in nearly 1,000 casualties and left an indelible mark on Belfast as well as Bangor, Derry/Londonderry & Newtownards.

This talk will delve into the extensive oral history collection of NIWM to explore the experiences of the Blitz from those who lived through those harrowing nights. It will be an opportunity to hear recollections on all of the major raids on Northern Ireland, highlighting how/where people sheltered, close calls and stories of the loss of family, friends and neighbours. 85 years on, explore what legacy has the blitz left behind and the eyewitness stories that are yet untold about the air raids on Northern Ireland.

Booking required.

House Stark in the Second World War

Fri 29 May from 1pm –2pm, Onsite at PRONI

Four members of the Stark family of North Belfast and Finaghy served in the Second World War and are commemorated on the Roll of Honour for Lowe Memorial Presbyterian Church in Finaghy. Whilst reference will be made to all of them, the talk will focus on the war history of Flying Officer Robert Henry Stark (Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve) who donated a record of his war service with PRONI in the 1980s. Rob Stark maintained a meticulous and detailed account of his war service and the PRONI record fills an A4 lever-arch file.

The talk will be introduced by a PRONI member of staff, who will provide an overview of the file and highlight one or two items of particular interest. The remainder of the talk will be a presentation by Nigel Henderson of History Hub Ulster, giving an overview of the Stark family and then outlining Rob Stark's war service.

A selection of photocopies from Flying Officer Stark's account will be available for attendees to view.

Booking required.

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.