Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)

Description

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) is the national archives of Northern Ireland and a division of the Department for Communities within the Northern Ireland Civil Service. It was established under the Public Records Act (Northern Ireland) 1923 as the official archive for the reception and permanent preservation of public records in Northern Ireland, and opened to the public in 1924. PRONI identifies, preserves and provides access to records of historical, social and cultural significance, serving as the official place of deposit for public records of historical significance and holding extensive collections from private sources including churches, businesses, community groups and individuals. Its holdings comprise approximately three million records, spanning government and non-departmental public body records, local authority, school and church records, and private deposits such as letters, diaries, ledgers, photographs and maps, alongside a growing digital collection of over 220,000 items. PRONI provides free access to its collections and runs a programme of free events and exhibitions, and it carries out records management functions for public authorities. Its current activity includes the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland, the USANI:250 programme, church records digitisation, and archiving in support of truth recovery.

Currently active

Yes

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

Founding year

1923

Contact details

On the map

Go to larger version of this map

Categorisation

Type

Tags

Partner Universities

Ulster University

Additional Partnerships

Northern Ireland Screen; ITV; BBC NI; The Nerve Centre; National Museums Northern Ireland; Belfast Jewish Heritage; European Holocaust Research Infrastructure UK (EHRI-UK); Libraries NI; Trinity College Dublin; America250 Commission; National Folklore Collection at University College Dublin