Public Records Office of Northern Ireland

While in Belfast, it is a must to visit the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, (or PRONI for short), if you are going any sort of research that involves records from Northern Ireland. PRONI is the official archive for Northern Ireland.

When you first walk into PRONI, you will find that it has an open concept that allows you to see some of the second floor. The stairs are about the middle of the room with security at the front, and a place to get your reader’s card, or fill out the application for it if there is a problem with the computer system.

Before heading upstairs to the Reading Room, you need to realize that there are certain restrictions that must be observed. On the first floor, there are lockers provided for all those things that you brought but cannot take into the Reading Room. There is also a cafeteria available for something to eat at lunchtime.

On your first visit to PRONI, you will go through an orientation. They will show you how to determine what you need, which includes going through databases, using computers to access the internet, and more. You can also ask to talk with a professional genealogist who will not be doing the work for you, but will guide you about what direction you should take.

There are actually two rooms on the second floor that you will be working in. The first room will be the room that you go through the looking at the databases, going through the books, and accessing the internet. This room also holds a number of microfilm readers for use by patrons.

The second room on the second floor is the Reading Room. It is in this room that you will order any book or document or box that you want to look through for the information that you are looking floor. Once the order is placed, it usually take only a couple of hours or less for it to be delivered to the Reading Room. There are plenty of tables for use in there.

PRONI also has a website: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni

If you are planning a visit to PRONI, you really should go to their website. It will give you all the information that you need to know before going, such as the address, the hours that it is open, what type of preparation that you can do before going, and so on. Another thing to be aware of is that you can use your digital camera, but you must ask permission at least three weeks in advance. The documents are not online, but the pamphlets are there to let you know how to access the records in the archives during your visit.

I was disappointed to find that there are no records that are on the website. There may be some available through Find My Past or Ancestry. I don’t know for sure. Maybe some day, PRONI will follow the example of Library and Archives Canada, The National Archives of Ireland, and The National Archives at Kew and have access to at least some of the more popular records or even just the databases through its website.