Forthcoming PRONI talks and events - and volunteers needed!

Forthcoming events at PRONI (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni):

Death in the North Channel: The Princess Victoria Disaster
31 January, 1-2pm
Stephen Cameron speaks on the mv Princess Victoria ferry which operated between Larne and Stranraer. She left Stranraer on 31 January and sailed into what has been called ‘The Great Storm of 1953’. The ship was lost and only 44 men survived the sinking. No women or children were saved.

Historic Environment Record of Northern Ireland (HERoNI) Lectures
- HERoNI lecture: Belfast Architecture of the 1930s
24 January, 1pm
Dr Tanja Poppelreuter, lecturer in the History and Theory of Architecture at the University of Salford, Manchester brings to attention the multi-faceted architecture of the 1930s.

- HERoNI lecture: Salt of the Earth
7 February, 1pm
Timandra Nichols, Second Warden, Salters’ Company will outline the 600-year old history of the Salters’ Company, a livery company in the City of London and 9th in order of precedence of the 110 livery companies.

Dreadful monsters and poor relations: the debate over Irish public finances​​​
6 February, 7pm
The Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies invites you to a talk at PRONI by Prof Julian Hoppit, FBA, from University College London.

History of Milltown Cemetery​​
13 February, 1pm
Author, Tom Hartley will talk about the history of Milltown Cemetery, those who are buried there and the importance of symbolism.
Tom has written three comprehensive books on Belfast cemeteries.

Sir Samuel C Davidson and his amazing Sirocco Works​​​
20 February, 1pm
PRONI is pleased to welcome Eric Woods who will discuss the life and achievements of Sir Samuel Davidson, founder of the Sirocco Works.

Could you help us enhance access to our collections at PRONI?
We are currently looking for additional volunteers in conservation, our digital image library and enhancing our digital collections.
If you would like to get involved and help to safeguard our community heritage, find out more and how to apply below!
FIND OUT MORE at www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/volunteering-proni

PRONI Workshops
Various dates

Getting Started
Various Dates, January - March, 11am-1pm
Introductory workshops for those interested in local and family history.

Online Resources
Various Dates, January - March,
11am-1pm & 7-9pm
Introduction to using online records for family and local history research.


To book a free ticket at any of PRONI's events, follow the links at www.nidirect.gov.uk/information-and-services/public-record-office-northern-ireland-proni/whats-proni

(With thanks to the PRONI Express)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Northern Irish government set to resume work

After three years, it looks like everyone has finally caught themselves on in Belfast and decided to resume sitting as a government at the Assembly in Stormont. See https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2020/0110/1105463-northern-ireland-politics/. It's good news for democracy and for Northern Ireland.

Quite apart from the very serious issues that have been left to drift through the suspension, there is, of course, always a genealogy angle to such developments! In this case, the suspension of Stormont had led to a cessation of Freedom of Information enquiries being dealt with by government agencies, as the legislation requires there to be a sitting minister (see https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/temporary-suspension-foi-requests-proni-faqs). This has impacted on the ability of agenices such as PRONI (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) to deal with applications, for example, concerning enquiries into Northern Ireland's 1939 National Identity Register, a major census substitute.

Fingers crossed for things to go smoothly, and a for a resumption of normal service soon!

UPDATE: Deirdre Hargey of Sinn Féin has been appointed the new Communities minister, the ministry which oversees PRONI. Congratulations to her.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI - where everybody knows your name!

Having missed the PRONI user forum meeting last week due to the hectic general election the day before, I visited Belfast yesterday to do a bit of research at PRONI (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni), which is rapidly competing with the bar from Cheers as the place to bump into folk!

I first bumped into Tunji Lees, who regular readers may remember flagged up the existence of the Scottish WW1 Pension Appeals Tribunal records at the National Records of Scotland a few years back, as catalogued under PT6, and which are now being indexed thanks to funding from the Wellcome Trust (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2018/01/scottish-ww1-pensions-appeal-records.html). Tunji is carrying out a surname study of the Lees surname in the north, and was having a lot of fun with the records yesterday!

I also caught up with Martin McDowell from the North of Ireland Family History Society, who is currently working on a Ballycarry DNA project in County Antrim (see https://www.nifhs.org/dna/ballycarry-dna-project/), and putting together the talks strand for the next Back To Our Past event in Belfast next February.

The big find for me was discovering a map from 1859 of the northern part of Islandmagee in County Antrim, detailing the townlands there where my lot were based, and making me as happy as the proverbial whatsit...!

A final visit to the Christmas market was enough to recharge my batteries for a few more months.

Happy Christmas to all at PRONI!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI uploads digitised NI tithe books and school grant aid records

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) has initiated a major evolution with its online catalogue, with the release of two important digitised record collections for the six northern counties now constituted as Northern Ireland (Antrim, Down, Armagh, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Londonderry). The collections are the Northern Ireland Tithe Applotment Books 1823-1837 (FIN/5/A), and the National Education Commisioners Grant Aid Applications (ED/1).

Tithe Applotment Books

The tithe applotment books can now be downloaded for each parish.

i) From the home page at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni, click on eCatalogue.
ii) Click on Search PRONI's eCatalogue
iii) Scroll down and click on the green Search the eCatalogue button.
iv) On the top right of the catalogue search screen, click Browse.
v) Type in FIN/5/A and click on Search.
vi) On the results page, which states the following, go to the second option:

vii) If you click on the word More in the Title/Description column, you will gtet a short summary describing what the tithe records are.
viii) If you instead click on the blue PRONI reference FIN/5/A link in the first column, you will now be taken to a more detailed listing for each parish in alphabetical order.

ix) The View link at the end column allows you to download a hefty PDF file for the relevant parish. When you click on it you will first be asked to agree to a copyright statement:

Then you will be asked if you wish to save the relevant PDF file or to open it. Upon completion, this is the sort of thing you will then see:

COMMENT: Some of the files are quite large, but the quality of the digitisation is superb. Note that the records cannot be keyword searched - you'll have to go into them the good oul' fashioned way!

I have downloaded a couple of parishes, but one parish of interest, Islandmagee (simply noted as Island in the list) is showing as a damaged file which 'cannot be repaired'! I have notified PRONI, suspect it is just a minor teething issue.

Tithe records for the Republic of Ireland are already freely available at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie.


National Education Commissioners Grant Aid Applications

The search technique for these is similar to the above, with the results portrayed in county order over a series of files covering different periods from 1832-1899. For example, County Antrim is presented across ED/1/1 to ED/1/10, each of which subdivides further to individual schools - the ED/1/1 link, for example, leads to individual PDFs for 163 separate school applications (ED/1/1/1A to ED/1/1/164). Note that the applications are for named schools, so don't be going in looking for parish names in these.

Again, the presentation is superb, and the files with these are considerably smaller, so will open much quicker.

Have fun with the records!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI adds History of Belfast City Cemetery talk to YouTube

PRONI has added a video to its YouTube channel entitled History of Belfast City Cemetery. Here's the blurb:

Author, Tom Hartley, talks about the history of Belfast City Cemetery which opened on the 1 August 1869 as a cross denominational burial ground for the people of Belfast. This event took place on 17 October 2019.

The talk can be viewed at https://youtu.be/6No9QLVxqbY and is presented here also for convenience:

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Forthcoming events at PRONI in Belfast

Forthcoming talks and events at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni):

History Teacher’s Association of NI: AGM
22 October, 6-8pm
The History Teacher’s Association welcomes all to sit in on their event. The guest speaker will be Dr Rosie Hickey from the Prison Memory Archive.

Cold War Heritage in Northern Ireland
24 October, 1pm
Dr James O’Neill will use archaeological examples to explore how the Cold War impacted on Northern Ireland during the 20th century.

Archives of Internment
24 October, 10am-1pm
PRONI would like to invite you to an event exploring the Prisons Memory Archive and PRONI’s other archives on internment.

Bank Buildings: The Story Behind the Façade
29 October, 1-2pm
Richard Graham navigates the history of one of Belfast’s most iconic sites, from the first building in 1797 until the last, which was engulfed by fire in August 2018.

A Haunting Halloween at PRONI
31 October, 6-7.30pm
Dr Andrew Sneddon, Lecturer at the University of Ulster, historian, and expert on the history of the supernatural in Ireland, will join PRONI to explore some of the spooky ghost stories from the archives.

Reflections on the Nineteenth-Century from the Beyond 2022 Project​
7 November, 7-8.30pm
A presentation will be given by Dr Peter Crooks on the virtual reality project which is recreating the Public Record Office of Ireland and its collections that were destroyed in 1922 during the Civil War.

Launch of Linenopolis Exhibition at PRONI​
8 November, 1-2pm
An exciting new exhibition launching at PRONI, celebrating Belfast's linen heritage. It explores the social history, lives of the workers. The Artists Wilma Kirkpatrick and Helen O'Hare will showcase a selection of embroidered linen samplers.

The Civil Rights Movement and the Role of the IRA​
13 November, 1-2pm
Journalist, author and broadcaster, Malachi O’Doherty will be giving a presentation looking at the change of the Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland over the past 50 years and will expand upon research from his book which will be available on the day.

Beyond the Centenaries: The First World War and its impact on Ireland​
14 November, 2-4.30pm
A conference and workshop chaired by Dr Timothy Bowman will be held at PRONI which will look at Ireland between 1912 and 1921 mainly focusing on the aftermath of the First World War.

Linenopolis: The Health & Welfare of Mill Workers​
21 November, 1-2pm
PRONI’s David Huddleston will examine the workhouse, asylum, school and mill records in PRONI to reveal the health and welfare of mill workers during the late 19th century.

Using WikiTree
27 November, 1pm
Anne Johnston will deliver an introduction to WikiTree, a free genealogy website that maintains over 17 million ancestral profiles which can be used to research your own family tree.

A Beginner’s Guide to Using DNA for Family History​
28 November, 1-2pm
DNA can now be used to track your family’s history even beyond paper records. Come down to PRONI and hear Martin McDowell give a talk about the usefulness of DNA for family history.

New Online Records at PRONI
29 November, 11am-3pm
This event will feature a series of presentations and demonstrations showcasing digitized records that will be made available online.
(See http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2019/09/proni-to-release-new-digitised-records.html)


PRONI Workshops:
1) Getting Started
13 & 25 Nov, 16 Dec, 11am-1pm
Introductory workshops for those interested in local and family history.

2) Online Resources
26 November, 6 December, 11am-1pm
Introduction to using online records for family and local history research.

To book a seat at the above events visit https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/talks-and-events-proni

(With thanks to the latest PRONI Express)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI to release new digitised records online

Just back from Belfast, where I attended the latest stakeholder meeting at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) - and with some very exciting news!

For some time PRONI has been discussing making available through its online catalogue various digitised record sets. This already happens at the archive's search room in Belfast, where, for example, you can access various digitised church records collections (see https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/Church%20Records%20Available%20as%20Digital%20Copies%20in%20PRONI_0.pdf)

The plan now is to try to make several collections available for users to access from home in time for Explore Your Archive Week, towards the end of November. The collections being made available will include:

ED/1 National Education Commisioners Grant Aid Application ( 1832-1889)
From the PRONI catalogue:
In September 1831, the Commissioners of National Education were established to administer a fund of 30,000 per annum placed at the disposal of the Lord Lieutenant for the education of the poor in Ireland. They were empowered to make grants to local schools on condition that part of the required sum was raised locally and in addition they supervised the work of the schools, supplied textbooks and trained teachers. This class of records which bears the PRONI reference number ED/1, consists of 33 volumes of applications made to the Commissioners for grants for building schools, payment of teachers, provision of textbooks, equipment etc. The applications were made on printed questionnaire forms (occasionally accompanied by correspondence), which were filed and bound together in date order and arranged county by county. They cover the period 1832-1889. ED/1/1 to ED1/28, are available on microfilm and bear the reference number MIC/548, Reels 1 to 52. The National Archives in Dublin hold a few unbound applications from Counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh and Meath, as well as a volume of Rejected Applications from Ulster schools for the period 1868-72.

Tithe Applotment Books (Northern Ireland)
The books from the Republic are already available online at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp. This collection from PRONI will not be presented in the same way, in that they will not be keyword searchable, but instead must be browsed by the relevant townland or parish (much more preferable, in that when browsing you can pick up on things that a keyword search may miss). They will be presented as large scale PDF documents, via a 'View digital object' button on the catalogue entries. PRONI will be adding to its site a how-to user guide to explain how to work through the collections. 

(NB: It is hoped these will be ready in time for the main launch, but they admit they are working to a tight deadline - nevertheless, if not ready by November, they are imminent)

Photo collections - various collections will be made available, including some gems such as circus photos, historic images from the Steeple estate in Antrim, and material from the Northern Ireland Photographic Association (formed 1967).

Hansard Papers - from the Northern Irish Assembly

Other news:

340 documents have been added to the Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) covering the years 1991-1992. Plans are in place to add further records for 1993-94 over the next year.

State papers form 1995 have now been added to the site's catalogue. (535 fully open, 172 partially redacted, with 45 still closed to access).

I'll blog about forthcoming events on a separate thread.

But hey - the tithe records are coming online soon!

(With thanks to all at PRONI)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

The Men Behind The Glass Exhibition at PRONI

Details of a talk and exhibition at PRONI (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) on Tuesday 20th August 2019:

The Men Behind The Glass Exhibition

PRONI is delighted to host a lunchtime talk on the Men Behind the Glass exhibition and project on 20 August, 1.00 pm to 2.00 pm.

PRONI will be hosting a travelling exhibition curated by Campbell College this summer. The exhibition features many former Campbellians including First World War participants such as Lieutenant Edmund De Wind VC. Subjects include, Pre-War Campbell, life at Campbell, Campbellians at War, Campbell’s Contribution and Commemorating. The exhibition will be on display from 19 August to 27 September.

(With thanks to Gavin McMahon)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Northern Ireland's national archive PRONI - in glorious 3D!

This is a bit of fun - a 360 degree tour of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) produced by young filmmakers during the Summer VR Filmmaking Programme in 2019.

Click and drag on the image with your mouse as it is playing and you should be able to move around the environment as it plays. The video is embedded here and can also be found at https://youtu.be/xNIofUEegTk.

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

August events at PRONI in Belfast

The following events are forthcoming at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni):

Dr Raphael Ernest Grail Armattoe: The West African Scientist in 1940s Ireland
5 August, 1-2pm

Elly Omondi will explore the legacy of Dr Armattoe, his pioneering contribution as a West African immigrant, his work as a locum doctor in Belfast, as a GP in Derry~Londonderry, and his lasting work on anthropology as a science.
Book tickets via http://www.eastsidearts.net/event/dr-raphael-ernest-grail-armattoe

East Belfast and the Blitz
6 August, 1-2pm
The presentation will focus on the people from East Belfast who died during the German air raids of 1941, and on public and family commemoration.
Book tickets via http://www.eastsidearts.net/event/east-belfast-and-blitz-nigel-henderson

Women in the Archives
7 August, 1-2pm
Lynsey Gillespie and Jason Burke will explore hidden stories from the archives of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Linen Hall Library.
Book tickets via http://www.eastsidearts.net/event/women-archives-lynsey-gillespie-and-jason-bourke

The "Wee Yard" and the Great War
8 August, 1-2pm
This presentation marks the 100th anniversary of the Workman Clark war memorial which is now located at the Pumphouse in the Titanic Quarter. The presentation will provide a wide-ranging account of the involvement of the Workman Clark shipyard and its employees in the First World War.
Book tickets via http://www.eastsidearts.net/event/wee-yard-and-great-war

'Men Behind the Glass' Exhibition
From 19 August
The exhibition will be on display in the PRONI atrium and will run from 19 August until 30 September.
Further details via https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/talks-and-events

(With thansk to the PRONI Express)

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Forthcoming events at PRONI in Belfast

Forthcoming events at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni):Forthcoming events at PRONI

International Council on Archives Workshop
5 June, 11am - 4pm
Practical workshop on essential skills, online resources and a tour or the public spaces.

J.C. Beckett Annual Memorial Lecture
6 June, 7pm
The Ulster Society of Irish Historical Studies are hosting Dr Diane Urquhart on “Like diamonds, gambling and picture-fancying, a luxury of the rich’?: Ireland’s divorcing minority, 1701-1922.

International Archives Day: Behind the scenes tour of PRONI
10 June, 11am & 2pm
Guided ‘Behind-the-scenes’ tour of PRONI and meet the staff sessions.

State Papers Ireland
11 June, 11am
Join us for a workshop on early records relating to Ireland. The State Papers Ireland digitised manuscripts are a key resource for researching the history of Ireland between 1509 and 1782. This subscription resource, which is available free of charge at PRONI, includes correspondence, reports, memoranda and parliamentary drafts from ambassadors, civil servants and provincial administrators.

'In Her Words' Exhibition
On display until 28 June
Visit PRONI’s current atrium exhibition exploring women in the archives; 'In Her Words'.

Ulster Scottish Connections: Marking 800 years of PRONI's Oldest Document
12 June, 2pm - 4.30pm
An afternoon event exploring the background to PRONI’s oldest document dated 12 June 1219, a papal bull within the Abercorn Papers.

Prisons, Asylums, Workhouses: Institutions in Ireland Conference State Papers Ireland
13-14 June
Conference exploring three centuries of institutional life in Ireland and the voices and spaces of the marginalised in Irish society.

Beyond the Somme: Brigadier Frank Crozier and the Welsh Bantam Brigade
13 June, 6.30pm
Mike Taylor is the guest speaker for The monthly meeting of the Antrim and Down branch of the Western Front Association.

Women in the Archives, Archive Roadshow
20 June, 1pm
Afternoon event aimed at women in minority communities. Attendees are invited to bring an archival document.

D.A. Chart Seminar on Maps 2019
26 June, 12.30pm
Inaugural seminar, named in memory of PRONI’s first ever Deputy Keeper. ‘Our Place on the World Map, 1000-1600’ by Dr Glynn Kelso.

PRONI Workshop: Getting Started
28 June, 11am - 1pm
Introductory workshop on essential skills for researching family and local history.

Further details at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/proni-events-programme

(With thanks to the PRONI Express)

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

New exhibition at PRONI - In Her Words

The Women in the Archives team will be hosting a new exhibition at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) this week.

In Her Words is a unique exhibition that brings forward the voices and experiences of unseen women, written by them in their own words, found in diaries and letters held by PRONI.

The exhibition will launch this Thursday with talks by curator Lynsey Gillespie and Bronagh McAtasney, the woman behind the twitter @NrnIrnGirl1981, about the importance of diary writing and women’s own history.

(With thanks to Lynsey Gillespie at PRONI)

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 13th 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

UTV Archive at PRONI - and other PRONI news

Yesterday (Friday 15th) I had the pleasure to attend the latest Stakeholders' Forum at PRONI, Northern Ireland's national archive, in Belfast - albeit after a fairly choppy ferry crossing. The following is a summary of the some of the latest developments:

PRONI Guide to Church Records

It was confirmed that the version of the document, PRONI Guide to Church Records, online at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/proni-guide-church-records is up to date. Accompanying this is a separate document, Church Records Available as Digital Copies in PRONI, which details which records exist in digital format on the archive's catalogue system, CALM. Both are invaluable resources for planning a trip to PRONI. It was confirmed that recent church records collections brought in for digitisation are now currently being worked upon.


Cataloguing:

The onsite catalogue, CALM, has had some performance issues over the last six months, which now seem to be resolved.

PRONI is currently cataloguing the Michael J. Murphy Papers, with help from students. Murphy was a folklorist and writer, with his papers from 1942-83 detailing his work for the Folklore Commission, with notebooks, diaries, and other materials.


Recent Deposits

The Ulster Society of Organists and Choirmasters papers consists of 12 boxes of material, including minutes, photographs, and correspondence from 1918-2017. Catalogued under D4701.

The Northern Ireland District Association Camping and Caravanning Club papers, with minute books, photographs, scrapbooks etc from 1964-2005, 15 volumes of material within 3 boxes, will be held under D4702.

The Northern Ireland Council on Voluntary Action (NICVA) has donated minutes form 1938-92, as well as copies of its 'Scope' magazine from 1975-2008. This will be held under D4708.

Coming soon:

More Ulster Farmers Union materials minute books, photographs, etc, to be held under D1050/13.

The Presbyterian Children's Society – 10 boxes of material, correspondence and papers, application forms over the last 50 years, and more.

Ballyclare Church Lads Brigade - 6 boxes of material (including one for Limerick district), from the 1920s, including minute books, manuals, scrap books, and other records.


The UTV Archive at PRONI

This was of particular interest to me, having previously worked in TV myself (and having once interviewed the head of UTV!). Ulster Television was established in 1959, as the first commercial broadcaster on the island of Ireland. Its huge archive covers a vast amount of Northern Irish history and culture from that point, including interviews with Seamus Heaney, George Best, Van Morrison, Brendan Behan and others, of course, extensive coverage of the Troubles.

Unfortunately, as UTV has now been purchased by the ITV network, its archive is to be relocated to Leeds in England. I am personally appalled that Northern Ireland's broadcast heritage is leaving the country, but thankfully, PRONI has secured a five year agreement with ITV to digitise as much of the material as possible before it is sent to England for permanent storage. The aim is that Northern Ireland Screen will then make the material available on its Digital Film Archive (https://digitalfilmarchive.net).

About a hundred pallets of material from Havelock House are being taken by PRONI for the project, containing material from 1959-1993, mainly unedited rushes, with about 72,000 items. The following gives an idea of the breakdown of what is to be worked on:

6543 film cans (mainly 16mm), and 4 boxes of loose film
54,469 Betacam tapes (SP, Digibeta and 90SP), and 112 boxes of uncatalogued tapes
1295 one inch reels
83 U-Matic tapes

The film material is being prioritised, as this is older and may be more brittle.

As part of this arrangement, PRONI will be opening a viewing room soon to allow visitors to view some of the tapes and films, and we were treated to a glimpse of this by Stephanie Routhier-Perry, who is working on the project. The room caters for film with a Steenbeck player, and various tape formats, including one ince, U-Matic, Beta SP, Digibeta and smaller tape formats also. Access provision will be quite strictly conditioned – appointment only, one viewer at a time, no ledning facility, and subject to normal PRONI conditions. Permission to purchase any material will have to be done through ITV.

In the Q&A I asked about whether UTV programmes are included in the project, but was advised that these are already in Leeds, PRONI is working mainly with rushes only.

Women in the Archives 

This is an initiative PRONI is working with local musuems and libraries on, and as a part of it, there will be two exhibitions in April, in partnership with the Linen Hall Library, called 'In Her Words' and 'Anonymous was a Woman'.

Another recent project called 'Buried in Belfast' saw 25 people working on stories from Milltown and City Cemetery, the outcome of which will see further initiatives, including a proposed trail map.


City Cemetery records

As a part of our discussions, it emerged that Belfast City Council is looking at possibly upgrading the online digital provision for its city cemetery records, with features such as a potential Boolean search to be developed, possibly even geo-tagging of graves. It is early days, but one to watch. We were also advised that the Council now has a dedicated Bereavement Services Manager, Michael Patterson.


Social Media:

PRONI now has an Instagram account at publicrecordofficeni, which went online a couple of weeks ago.


Exhibitions:

Plantations in Ulster, 1600-41, will launch at Central Library in Derry on April 5th. This will tie in with the Plantation themed resources book which PRONI released last year.


New online payment system

Janet Hancock advised that a new secure invoice and payments system for remote enquiries is hopefully going to launch soon in late spring or in the summer. You will be able to pay for looks ups, do copyright declarations online, and gain digital access. We may get a short presentation on this at the next forum meeting.


Flagship Events:

PRONI's oldest document is a papal bull from the 13th century, concerning the creation of Paisley Abbey in Renfrewshire, Scotland, and held with the Hamilton Papers. This year sees its 800th anniversary, and there will be a tie in event on June 12th at PRONI with speakers Matthew Hammond and William Roulston.

The first of the Ulster Historical Foundation's annual Dr. Brian Trainor Memorial Lectures will take place this September (see https://www.ancestryireland.com/brian-trainor-memorial-lecture-fund).

(With thanks to all the forum members, especially Stephanie Routhier-Perry and Stephen Scarth for the visit to the multimedia room)

Chris

My next Scottish Research Online course starts March 11th 2019 - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Forthcoming talks and events at PRONI

Forthcoming events at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni):

PRONI Workshop - Getting Started
Various dates
Introductory workshop on essential skills for researching family and local history.

PRONI workshop - Online family and local history resources
Various dates, January - April 2019, 11am-1pm and 6-8pm
Introductory workshop on using PRONI’s online records for family and local history.

Soft power and subterfuge: The women of Tyrone’s Rebellion, 1593-1603
21 February 2019, 7pm
Lecture organised by the Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies. Dr James O’Neill explores role of women during The Nine Years War.

Wreck and Rescue lecture series
27 February 2019 - 3 April, 1-2pm
A series of lectures looking at various aspects of the history of maritime disasters and the organisations who work to save life at sea.

Book launch: A long week in March by Michael Nugent
28 February 2019, 7pm
Michael James Nugent explores the events of the 21 March 1918

The development of physical education, 1922-54
7 March 2019, 1-2pm
Dr Conor Curran explores the changing role of physical education in NI.

Whatever the Weather
26 March 2019, 1 - 2:30pm
Dr Catherine Ross of the Met Office National Meteorological Archive charts the world of weather related records.


International Women’s Week

PRONI will be hosting two events in the run up to International Women’s Day

Archival Traces Exhibition Launch
4 March 2019, 1-2pm
“Archival traces” is a visual exploration of boglands on the island of Ireland by Michelle Moloney. The work is primarily concerned with these landscapes as repositories; sites of memory and preservation: natural archives.

Through the eyes of Margaret Cousins – Irish and Indian Suffragette – Dr Keith Monroe
8 March, 1-2pm
Dr Keith Monroe will deliver a talk on his book.

To register for PRONI events, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--belfast/proni/

Chris

My next Scottish Research Online course starts March 11th 2019 - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI YouTube additions - 1994 files and the 1918 vote

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) has added a new video to its YouTube channel.

Secrets from the files 1994
Dr Eamon Phoenix and Sam McBride reveal the secrets behind the news headlines from the recently released government files of 1994 at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. This event took place on Tuesday 8th January 2019.

The video is available at https://youtu.be/M--VekANFaw, and presented below.

Also recently added:

PRONI - 1918 and the Vote
To mark the centenary of the 1918 General Election, PRONI is held a conference on 22 November 2018. This event saw the launch of new PRONI resources about Suffrage and the 1918 election.

The video is available at https://youtu.be/tR7_sDsTVD0 and presneted here also:

For more from PRONI on YouTube visit https://www.youtube.com/user/PRONIonline.

Chris

My next Scottish Research Online course starts March 11th 2019 - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Forthcoming events at PRONI in Belfast

Forthcoming events at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni):

PRONI Workshop - Getting Started
Fri, Jan 25, 11:00am
Free

PRONI Workshop – Online Family and Local History Resources
Thu, Jan 31, 6:00pm
Free

Women in the Archives Information Evening
Thu, Jan 17, 7:00pm
Free

Whatever the Weather!
Tue, Mar 26, 1:00pm
Free

Wreck and rescue talk series
Wed, Feb 27, 1:00pm
Free

The development of physical education in Northern Ireland, 1922-1954
Thu, Mar 7, 1:00pm
Free

Buried in Belfast - Women in the Archives
Wed, Jan 23, 9:30am
Free

Soft power and subterfuge: the women of Tyrone's Rebellion, 1593-1603
Thu, Feb 21, 7:00pm
Free

J.C. Beckett Annual Memorial Lecture
Thu, Jun 6, 7:00pm
Free

Bad Bridget - Women and Crime, Past and Present
Fri, Jan 25, 10:00am
Free

For further details, and to book, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--belfast/proni/

(With thanks to the PRONI Express)

Chris

My next Scottish Research Online course starts March 11th 2019 - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Buried in Belfast - Women in the Archives workshop

Details of the latest Women in the Archives workshop programme in Belfast from PRONI (https://nidirect.gov.uk/proni) and the Linen Hall Library (https://linenhall.com):

Women in the Archives

Buried in Belfast Workshop Programme

The Linen Hall Library and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) are bringing forward female voices from the archives through an exciting programme of exhibitions, events and workshops.

Registration is now open for our seven-week Buried in Belfast Workshop Programme.

• Take part in specially designed tours of Milltown and Belfast City Cemeteries and uncover hidden histories...
• Get a behind-the-scenes tour of PRONI and a women’s tour of the Linen Hall Library...
• Develop skills in historical & archival research, story mapping and tour guiding...
• Interrogate history, the art of writing & tour guiding...
• Develop trail maps and self-guided tours that showcase the lives of ordinary and extraordinary women...
• Leave your story for future generations...

Workshop Details:

Programme is open to all genders and backgrounds

Duration: 7 Weeks (23 Jan-07 Mar 2019) - Wed (Group 1) or Thurs (Group 2)

Please book a ticket for either the Wednesday Group or the Thursday Group depending on which day of the week it suits you to attend.

Time: 9.30am-1.30pm

Costs: This is a free workshop programme and places are limited. Early booking is recommended.
To register visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/buried-in-belfast-women-in-the-archives-tickets-54282689987

(With thanks to PRONI via Facebook)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Dr Brian Trainor Memorial Lecture Fund

The Ulster Historical Fundation (www.ancestryireland.com) has announced a new fundraiser initiative for the proposed Dr Brian Trainor Memorial Lecture, which will take place each year or every two years (details to be confirmed).

Dr Brian Trainor, a formerDirector of PRONI in Belfast, passed away in August 2018, aged 90. The UHF site provides a full obituary for Dr Trainor, whose contribution to the world of Irish genealogy is summarised within the opening paragraph:

Brian Trainor devoted much of his professional life and indeed his thirty-year retirement to making good the almost-irreparable damage done to Irish archives by the destruction of the Four Courts during the Civil War in 1922. Initially as archivist from the mid-1950s, then Director of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 1970-1987 and as Chairman of the Irish Manuscripts Commission and of the National Archives Advisory Committee, he was at the forefront of the campaign to improve the quality and awareness of historical sources whose availability and interpretation have played such a vital role in the improved understanding of the island's past.

The aim of the lecture fund is to establish the Dr Brian Trainor Memorial Lecture:

The Dr Brian Trainor Memorial Lecture will be delivered by an eminent historian of Irish history who may, or may not, be based in an academic institution on this island.

The topic of the lecture will relate to an aspect of Irish history, with a particular focus on archival sources in recognition of Dr Trainor’s huge contribution to developing, preserving and promoting archives.

Though the lecture will be delivered to an academic standard, it will be aimed at a general audience in recognition of Dr Trainor’s desire to see archives opened up to everyone.

For more information, and to make a donation, please visit https://www.ancestryireland.com/brian-trainor-memorial-lecture-fund/.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Northern Ireland's Prisons Memory Archive

At the stakeholders meeting of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) on Friday 7 December 2018, we were given a presentation by Lorraine Dennis on an extraordinary collection in Northern Ireland, the Prisons Memory Archive.

The Prisons Memory Archive is comprised of a series of a thousand pictures and 175 interviews recorded at Armagh Gaol and at the Maze and Long Kesh Prison from 2006-7. Initially recorded as the Prisons Audio Visual Archive, the interviewees comprise of staff, probation officers, prisoners, chaplains, teachers, and visitors with stories to tell from the period of the Troubles (although not exclusively).

The aim of the project was to empower the participants to tell their stories by taking them back to the sites in question. The recordings vary from minutes to hours, with extensive site footage.
The project today is recognised internationally as a model of best practice for an oral history archive.

Of course, the Troubles still remain a sensitive subject to this day, and at one point we were told how there has at times been hostility from many quarters about the project, which probably means that the team have got something right in terms of an approach that favours neither one perspective or another. Indeed, the recordings themselves are anonymous in terms of the political leanings of those involved, and people are labelled by their name only, with participants having self-identified for labelling purposes on how they wish to be referred to.

A taste of the archive's recordings is available online at www.prisonsmemoryarchive.com, but the big development now is that in partnership with the Prisons Memory Archive Management Group and Queen's University Belfast, PRONI is cataloguing and hosting the collection (with Heritage Lottery Funding) as part of the Visual Voices Project, with all of the original recordings to be made available for consultation at the archive under D4616. These can be viewed on four dedicated CALM PCs in the main search room search room, with headphones provided. It was noted that some of the recordings are quite large and so may take a minute or so to load up.

Twenty five recordings are now available at PRONI, with a further 150 to be transferred over the next 18 months.

A huge thank you to Lorraine fort such a fascinating insight into such a seriously valuable and worthwhile project. For a taste of what to expect, watch video trails at https://vimeo.com/88650123
and https://vimeo.com/85255321.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Latest news from PRONI's stakeholder forum meeting

On Friday 7 December 2018 I had the pleasure to attend the final Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) stakeholders meeting in Belfast, after a fairly dodgy ferry crossing on the Irish Sea! It was a fairly packed session, with lots to report on.

We started the meeting with a lengthy briefing about the Prisons Memory Archive project, which deals with the legacy of imprisonment at two major Northern Irish prisons, in Armagh and Long Kesh/the Maze. I won't discuss the project here, but will do so in a separate blog post in the next day or two.

Elsewhere in the meeting we also had an update on the archive's recent cataloguing efforts. Work continues on the Londonderry Papers, with recent additions for papers held by the 7th Marquess, under D3099/11. Also catalogued now are the papers of the Augher Co-operative Agricultural and Dairy Society, from 1887-1955, under D3057, with papers such as minutes and accounts included.

With regards to new accessions, new collections currently being processed are photos from the Steeple Community Association, covering the Steeple estate in Antrim, and dating back to the 1960s, which are being digitised for catalogue access. Papers from the Cairnshill Residents Association from the 1980s onwards have also been deposited.

Of family history interest are the recently deposted papers of genealogist John McCabe, which have been donated by his brother, and which cover a period from the 1950s-2016. These are not available yet, but will be under D4692. I believe that this includes lots of work on the United Irishmen.

Other accessions include the papers of the Northern Irish Council for Ethnic Minorities from the 1990s onwards (under D4697) and the Ulster Society of Organists and Choirmasters dating back to 1918.

On PRONI's church records digitisation project, in the last year 73 volumes have been digitised, bringing the total up to 386. These comprise the records of 30 churches, from three denominations, and can be accessed via the onsite catalogue (called CALM). The full list of holdings is now available in the search room and on the website at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/digitised-church-records-available-proni. I believe the list is also being integrated into PRONI's Guide to Church Records at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/proni-guide-church-records.

New records for digitisation next year are already being gathered, with material from Dundonald and Aghadowey Presbyterian Churches, and Ballyrashane Church of Ireland already sourced. Some non-subscribing presbyterianm churches are also now showing an interest in participation.

We then had apresentation from janet hancock on the new Absentee Voters Lists from 1918 for Armagh and Derry/Londonderry. Janet highlighted that there are published indexes to these, but also original manuscripts held, and that it is worth consulting both, as the manuscript volumes occasionally have slight differences with updates. Further information is available at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/absent-voters-lists-0.

Some work is happening soon to rearrange access for some items on the PRONI website, with a new resources page that will be created for materials currently available in areas such as the Decade of Centenaries section, for example on Suffragette resources. Digitised copies of recent exhibitions will also be added. PRONI's YouTube channel is also being restructured shortly.

Finally, some quick headlines:

• PRONI is launching a new maritime lecture series of talks on Wrecks and Rescues in the new year, and next year projects will also commemorate the 400th anniversary of Derry's walls, the 80th anniversary of the Second World War, and 50 years on from Civil Rights.
• The Land Registry Service, currently available in PRONI's search room, is moving in February to new premises. 
• The recent suspension of Freedom of Information enquiries in PRONI, caused by the ongoing political stalemate at Stormont, has a few knock-on casualties for genealogists, not least for access to the 1939 National Identity Register.
• Next year, Back to our Past in Belfast will be held at the Waterfront Hall.

And finally...! If you haven't had a chance yet, do get yourselves along to the Christmas Market at City Hall - it's brilliant! :)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.