Arts and entertainment

PRONI has in its custody a wide range of material relating to the arts and entertainment. These include records deposited by local writers such as poets W R Rodgers and John Hewitt. Correspondence from many other local writers,' such as St John Ervine, George Shiels, Forrest Reid, Seamus Heaney and Michael Longely can also be found in many private archives.

PRONI also holds a wealth of material relating to the theatre in Ireland from the eighteenth century onwards. There are frequent references to the early Belfast theatre in the Drennan Letters which, in particular, contain a fascinating account of the mesmerising performances given at the theatre in Arthur St. by the great classical actress, Mrs Sarah Siddons, in the 1790s.

For those interested in the history of cinema, PRONI holds the records of the Midland Picture House, which was in operation from 1921 to 1941 and the records of several smaller cinemas. The records of the Royal Ulster Academy of Art incorporate the papers of its forerunners, the Belfast Sketching Club, the Belfast Art Society and the Ulster Academy of Arts and provide a comprehensive history of exhibitions of Ulster painters during the last 100 years.