Wednesday 5 March 2014

PRONI welcomes Creativity Month 2014

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland is one of many organisations taking part in Creativity Month 2014. This initiative (dedicated website here) sees organisations across Northern Ireland staging cultural events that celebrate creativity and the creative industries.

PRONI has issued the following overview of the events taking place at its premises over the next few weeks:

"We kick off on 12th March at 1pm with a special event which will entirely broadcast in the Irish Language. Our speaker, Brighid Mhic Sheáin, has been active in local Irish Language circles for over 50 years and will give a talk from her experience within the Belfast Irish Speaking community.

"On 13th March at 12:30pm, we will have a special event for anyone interested in going further in their family history research, as the extension of PRONI’s Will Calendars Application goes live. Join us to receive tips and advice from PRONI staff on how to get the most out of this new online tool.

"In the following week, we also have two unique events on very different subjects. On 19th March, American researcher Dr. Richard Hayes Phillips will discuss the findings of his latest book, which may unveil the real possibility that orphaned children from these islands were transported to Colonial America, where they faced a life of slavery.

The First World War is being heavily covered in the media at the moment; PRONI is a treasury of sources linked to this global conflict which affected so many of our ancestors’ lives. Staff at PRONI will reveal many of these unique resources in a special First World War Resources Showcase event on the evening of 20th March. This will act as a useful taster to anyone interested in using these sources for research or digital projects.

"All of these events are absolutely FREE to attend, but please reserve your place by contacting PRONI on proni@dcalni.gov.uk or by telephone on 02890534800. For the First World War Resources Showcase evening, please use Eventbrite."