PRONI unveils refurbished Public Search Room

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) has officially opened its Public Search Room, which has been refurbished at a cost of £250,000.

It is hoped that the updated facilities will attract more visitors with the attraction of unique documents which reflect local historical events over several centuries.

Speaking at the opening on the Lisburn Road in Belfast, where she also presented the Agency with the Investors in People accreditation, NIO Minister Angela Smith said: "PRONI is celebrating its 80th anniversary this month and down the years it has amassed a huge collection of documents, which enrich our sense of place and community. Indeed it is said that if opened out and laid end to end, there would be enough paper to stretch up and down Mount Everest 400 times!

“But millions of documents are of no benefit sitting neatly in boxes on shelves. They must be readily accessible to as many people as possible. The refurbishment of the Public Search Room provides a modern and spacious environment, where visitors can browse through the descriptive lists, order, see and touch original documents.

Since opening its doors in March 1924, PRONI has amassed millions of documents in its environmentally-controlled vaults.

The range of subjects covered vary from emigration, to the role of women in history, to crime and punishment, to the activities of local businesses and schools, to the work of the churches, right down to proof of the existence of individuals that make up the ever popular family history.

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