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Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

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Organising a group visit

Translink bus PRONI opening hours sign PRONI reception sign
PRONI welcomes group visits.  Groups whom we have hosted in the past include:
  • Family and local history societies
  • Probus groups
  • Women’s Institutes
  • University of the Third Age groups
  • Church groups
  • University and college student classes
If you want to bring a school group to PRONI, please refer to our guidance on organising a school group visit.

What does PRONI offer for groups?

PRONI offers talks, lectures and tours covering the following:
  • learning how to trace your family history in Northern Ireland
  • finding out how to do a local history study
  • undertaking academic research or seeking advice and guidance on a dissertation topic and the archives that are available
  • finding out about what the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) does or how to use the archives in PRONI

Talks and events programme

Talks and events usually take place in the evening (occasionally at lunch times) and last for about 45-60 minutes, with time for questions and answers at the end.
Speakers may either be PRONI staff or invited guests.
If you wish to bring a group to a talk or event in our general programme, please see booking in advance below.

Standard talks / lectures

Outside of our regular monthly talks programme, you may request a group to visit for a talk/lecture. These may be arranged for either an evening or during the day. You may book any of the following talks/lectures which will be delivered in powerpoint and will be illustrated with examples of archival documents:
  • PRONI Made Easy
  • How to trace your family tree using the archives in PRONI
  • Archives in PRONI for studying local history
  • Wills as a source for family history
  • Workhouse records for the family and local historian
  • Valuation records for family and local history
  • Census records for family and local history
  • Landed estate archives for the family and local historian
  • Education archives for family and local history
  • The major research strengths of PRONI
  • Maps in PRONI
You will need to give at least 3 months notice.  There is no guarantee that your booking will be accepted as we can only deliver so many talks each month.

Tailor-made talks / lectures

You can request a tailor-made talk, however you would need to give us at least 6 months advance notice because of the extra preparation time that is involved.

Tour of PRONI

You can request a tour of the research facilities and a behind the scenes visit to our conservation and storage areas. This will help you understand what PRONI is all about.  Tours last around an hour.

Talk and tour

If you have allowed enough time following your talk/lecture, you can request a tour of the search room and self-service microfilm room, where microfilmed copies of documents are kept. This will give an overview of using the archives and will last around 15 minutes.

Where the talks/lectures are held?

The talk or lecture will be delivered in the lecture room, which holds roughly forty-five adults and is located on the first floor.  A service lift is available for anyone who has difficulty climbing stairs.

Booking in advance

Many people visit PRONI each day.  Individual visitors do not have to make an appointment to carry out research, however if you wish to attend a talk or lecture you should book in advance. To arrange a group visit, we require at least three months notice.
There are several reasons why it is necessary to book in advance:
  • the growing demand for this service;
  • the relatively limited facilities in our building (which was designed in the 1960s when visitor numbers were more modest);
  • staff in Education, Learning and Outreach (ELO) may not necessarily be available.
Please note that we do not accept group bookings during the holiday period of July and August.

What information does PRONI require in advance from a group?

To book a group visit or talk you should contact ELO staff.  The following information is required.
  • Name, telephone number and/or email address of the organizer.
  • The number in your group.
  • How long you want your visit to last.
  • Whether your group want a talk only, or a talk and tour.
  • We will also need to know if any of your party have a disability or have special needs.
  • Whether your group intend to do some research as well as a talk/tour.
  • As parking space at PRONI is limited we will need to know whether you plan to arrive by public transport, in private cars or by coach.

Contacting ELO staff

If you wish to bring a group to PRONI, please contact PRONI in advance referring to/marking correspondence for the attention of the Education, Learning and Outreach (ELO) section.

What happens when I arrive at PRONI for a talk or tour?

For further information on what happens when you get to PRONI, including security and parking, see attending a talk or event.
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