General Collections highlights

In Conversation with June Cole

June Cole talks about being one of the band of female pilots who aided the war effort during World War 2. June was born in 1921, in London and by the age of 20 she had left her work as a Red Cross nurse in order to jo...

Ballymurphy – The People’s Co-ops

The story of Ballymurphy Enterprises

Like many cities in Britain, Belfast suffered industrial decline in the 1960s.  High unemployment rates were the norm for many of the housing estates in west Belfast. “Official statistics in Ballymurphy had 37% of ...

Sandy Row: The Village within the City

Sandy Row history.

Sandy Row was once a thriving community, best known and loved for its vibrant shops. As long-time resident Anna McAvoy remembers, 'You could have got anything in Sandy Row.. people came from far and wide.' Nowadays...

Cór Loch Lao

Documenting the work of Cór Loch Lao, a choir based in the Culturlann in Belfast.

Heritage Collections highlights

Anne McVicker

Women's Tec in Northern Ireland

Anne was born into a large family, being one of 9 children born in South Belfast. Anne spent most of her childhood growing up in the Cliftonville area in north Belfast. During her youth Anne recalls a lack of youth pr...

Billy Dunlop

WW2 & the trade union movement

After a pleasant childhood spent in Delaware Street on the Ravenhill Road in east Belfast, Billy entered the world of work in the post office as a telegraph messenger at a tender age, “I started at the age of 14 years...

WRDA Lecture Series – John Gray

A lecture on Mary Ann McCracken

Former Librarian and Social Historian John Gray delivered a lecture entitled “Mary Ann McCracken, pioneer feminist and revolutionary”.   John, a former Chief Librarian at the Linen Hall Library, opened the lectur...

Pilib O Runai

Setting up an Irish nursery

Pilib learnt some Irish at school, which was not common at the time something that was not very common at that time. He grew up with the language being spoken around him and always had an interest in it. He participat...