I have just read the annual reports from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland for the past three years 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09. They include details of the private papers lodged in PRONI in each of these years and there are some gems among them, including:
- additional papers of the missionary and writer Amy Carmichael
- material concerning the drawings by the artist William Conor for the 1500th anniversary St Patrick pageant in 1932
- a contemporary account of the 'battle' of Dolly's Brae
- records of various landed families
- records of several political organisations and friendly societies
I was particularly interested to see the reference to a commemorative booklet about the unveiling of the War Memorial at York Road Railway Station in Belfast in 1921. The memorial was away from Belfast for some years but has now been returned to York Road.
The opening of the new PRONI premises next year will greatly improve access to the records and there is certainly a wealth of material there.
I walked past the new PRONI offices being built on Sunday. Living in east Belfast, it'll be handier for me than Balmoral avenue!
ReplyDeleteI tend to use PRONI's website a lot, particularly the family papers available (e.g. the Abercorn Papers).
The intention is to make more and more PRONI information available on the website.
ReplyDelete