Skip to main content
Department for Communities Department for Communities An Roinn Pobal Depairtment fur Commonities

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Topics
  • Publications
  • Consultations
  • Contact

Translation help

Translate this page

Select a language

  • Arabic — عربي
  • Chinese (Simplified) — 中文简体
  • Chinese (Traditional) — 中文繁體
  • Dutch — Nederlands
  • Filipino — Filipino
  • French — Français
  • German — Deutsch
  • Hungarian — Magyar
  • Irish — Gaeilge
  • Italian — Italiano
  • Latvian — Latviešu
  • Lithuanian — Lietuvių kalba
  • Polish — Polski
  • Portuguese — Português
  • Romanian — Română
  • Russian — Русский
  • Slovak — Slovenčina
  • Spanish — Español
  • Ukrainian — Українська
  • Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)

    PRONI is the official archive and record office for Northern Ireland with a statutory remit to receive, preserve and make available public records and privately deposited archives.

    What PRONI does

    PRONI, the only archive in Northern Ireland with Archive Service Accreditation has the vision of “Protecting and Providing Archives for All”.

    PRONI aims to identify and preserve records of historical, social and cultural importance and make them available for the information, education and enjoyment of the public.

    PRONI is the official place of deposit for public records in Northern Ireland. In addition, it collects a wide range of archives from private sources. PRONI also advises on and promotes best practice in archive and records management to ensure that today’s records will be available for future generations.

    • Public Record Office Northern Ireland

    Public records

    PRONI holds public records mainly dating from around the formation of Northern Ireland (1921) to the present day. A small number date back to the 19th and late 18th centuries. ‘Public record’ generally refers to any document created by ‘official’ sources such as:

    • government departments
    • non-departmental public organisations
    • (courts of law, local authorities, non-departmental public bodies/quangos)

    Privately deposited archives

    These include business records and church registers and can range from a single emigrant letter to a vast landed estate archive containing thousands of items and spanning a 300 year period.

    Talks and events

    PRONI regularly hosts and takes parts in talks and events which are open to the public on a wide range of topics. Details on upcoming events and exhibitions are listed on the events page:

    • Talks and events

    What’s available online

    • Electronic catalogue
    • Ulster Covenant
    • Street Directories
    • Freeholders Lists
    • Londonderry Corporation Records
    • Uploaded Flickr Images
    • PRONI web archive
    • Historical map viewer
    • Valuation revision books
    • Name search

    Visiting PRONI

    The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) is located in Titanic Quarter Belfast, within easy reach of the city centre.

    The address is:

    Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
    2 Titanic Boulevard
    BELFAST
    BT3 9HQ

    You can find out more information about getting here and you should also note that if you are visiting for the first time, you should bring photographic identification with you:

    • Getting here

    Further information

    Further information can be found at the PRONI website:

    • Public Record Office Northern Ireland
    • PRONI: Protecting and Providing Archives for All

    contents

    Dealing with PRONI

    Find out more about the Legislation that governs the work of PRONI, access rules and disposal...

    • Legislation and access to PRONI records

    PRONI statistics

    Statistics on the use of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

    • Headline statistics on engagement in culture, arts, heritage and sport
    • Culture, arts and heritage statistics
    • PRONI digest

    Related to Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)

    Most recent publications

    • Experience of culture, arts and heritage by adults in Northern Ireland 2023/24

      Published 26 September 2024
    • Engagement in culture, arts, heritage and sport by adults in Northern Ireland 2023/24

      Published 25 July 2024
    See all publications in this topic

    Most recent consultations

    • PRONI - Public use of the records (management and fees) rules (NI) 2016

      Published 24 March 2016 Consultation closed
    • Consultation on privileged access to information contained in court and inquest files.

      Published 14 January 2016 Consultation closed
    See all consultations in this topic

    Most recent news items

    • Minister Lyons launches PRONI series of USA 250 events

      Published 4 June 2025
    • Lyons strengthens cultural and historical links during Washington visit

      Published 10 March 2025
    See all news in this topic

    Access to information

    How to request information from the Department for Communities including Freedom of Information (FOI) and the use of our Publication Scheme. You may also request your own personal information, via a Right of Access Request.

    Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on X (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

    Department footer links

    • Crown copyright
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy
    • Cookies
    • Accessibility
    • The Northern Ireland Executive
    • The Executive Office
    • Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
    • Department for Communities
    • Department for Education
    • Department for the Economy
    • Department of Finance
    • Department for Infrastructure
    • Department for Health
    • Department of Justice
    • nidirect.gov.uk — the official government website for Northern Ireland citizens