Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1924 |
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland, Government of the United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | 2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast, BT3 9HQ |
| Minister responsible |
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| Parent agency | Department for Communities |
| Key document | |
| Website |
www |
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI; Ulster-Scots: Apen Scrow Oaffis o Norlin Airlann; Irish: Oifig Taifead Poiblí Thuaisceart Éireann) is situated in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a division within the Communities Cohesion Group of the Department for Communities (DfC).
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is distinguished from other archival institutions in the United Kingdom by its unique combination of private and official records. The Record Office is not the Northern Ireland equivalent or imitation of any Great Britain or Republic of Ireland archival institution. It combines the functions and responsibilities of a range of institutions: it is at the same time Public Record Office, manuscripts department of a national library, county record office for the six counties of Northern Ireland, and holder of a large range of private records. This range of remit, embracing, among others, central and local government, the churches and the private sector, is unique to Northern Ireland.
History
PRONI was established by the Public Records Act (Northern Ireland), 1923.[1] The new body opened in March 1924 on the fourth floor of a former linen warehouse in central Belfast (at Murray Street). The immediate challenge was to identify and preserve surrogates of records lost in Dublin during the Four Courts fire on June 1922. The first Deputy Keeper, Dr David A. Chart was able to replace many of these records by approaching solicitors, business people, politicians, churches and the landed aristocracy.
The success of Chart's acquisition policy meant that PRONI needed more storage space. In April 1933, the office moved to a new central Belfast location, the first floor of the new Royal Courts of Justice in Chichester Street. However, it was not until 1965, that the Ministry of Finance would approve an actual new building. This new building, opened in 1972, at Balmoral Avenue was the first new record office to be built in the UK since the Public Record Office in London was erected in 1838.[2]
Between 1924 and 1982 PRONI was part of the Ministry (later Department) of Finance. The functions were then transferred to the Department of the Environment (DOE), and in 1995, PRONI became an executive agency within the DOE. With the restoration of devolved government in 1999, PRONI became an agency within the new Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL). The department brought together for the first time overall responsibility for libraries, museums and archives. As part of the implementation of the Review of Public Administration, PRONI ceased to be an agency in 2006 and became a division within the core department. On 9 May 2016, PRONI became a division within the Communities Cohesion Group as part of the newly created Department for Communities (DfC).[3]
Relocation to Titanic Quarter
In March 2011, PRONI reopened in new purpose built premises at 2 Titanic Boulevard, BT3 9HQ, in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast, approximately one mile from the city centre. The £29 million new headquarters includes a larger public search room, a reading room with seats for 78 users (most of which have access to power for laptops), a wifi cafe, microfilm readers, a self-service digital camera for digital copying, electronic information points, public art integrated into the fabric of the building, lecture theatre facilities, and dedicated exhibition space.
PRONI is easily accessed from Belfast City Hall via the Metro 26, 26A, 26B and 26C bus services. It is within close proximity to the Titanic Quarter railway station and George Best Belfast City Airport.
Titanic Quarter is also home to leading tourist attractions including Titanic Belfast, HMS Caroline, SS Nomadic, SSE Arena, Titanic Exhibition Centre and Titanic Studios where Game of Thrones is filmed.
Current organisation
PRONI is open 9:00–16:45 Monday to Wednesday and Friday, and 10:00–20:45 on Thursday. Those unable to visit and register onsite at PRONI can use the remote search and copy service, though there is a fee for this.
Records
PRONI currently holds 54 kilometres of records.[3] These records date largely from c.1600 to the present day but a few date as far back as the early 13th century, with the oldest document being a bull of Pope Honorius III, dated 1219. Records range from public documents, such as those from government departments, to private records, such as letters or diaries.
The records at PRONI relate chiefly to the North of Ireland (present day Northern Ireland and the three border counties of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland). The office holds a number of records relating to other parts of the island of Ireland which have been received by private depositors and include amongst others, the Kenmare Papers of Co. Kerry, the Lissadell Papers of Co. Sligo, and Conolly Papers of Co. Kildare.
Access to records
There is no entry fee for access to records. New visitors must produce photographic proof of identity in order to register and use the research facilities. Anyone over 16 can register as a PRONI visitor.
The collection at PRONI can be accessed by the electronic catalogue. Documents are ordered using the onsite ordering system in the PRONI Search Room and are produced in the PRONI Reading Room. Visitors can order up to five documents at a time.
PRONI also provides direct access to the most up to date births, marriages and deaths database hosted by General Registry Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI).
Online records
The PRONI website supports a number of free online resources including the PRONI electronic catalogue; a searchable wills database which contains details of testamentary papers, 1858–1965; valuation records, 1864–1933; fully indexed Ulster Covenant of 1912; Northern Ireland street directories, 1819–1900; pre-1840 Freeholders Registers and Poll Books; and links to PRONI records on Flickr and to the Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
PRONI@YouTube
PRONI makes available filmed presentations, lectures and conferences on its YouTube channel. These cover a wide range of subjects including family and local history, the Decade of Centenaries, Plantation and Emigration. The PRONI YouTube channel can be accessed at http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/proni-youtube
See also
References
External links
- Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
- The National Archives
- The National Archives of Ireland
- National Records of Scotland
- Department for Communities
Coordinates: 54°36′14″N 5°54′40″W / 54.604°N 5.911°W