At Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and Belfast venues · 2 Titanic Boulevard, Belfast, Co. Antrim BT3 9HQ
If you have Irish roots and want to do more than stare at a screen searching databases alone, this eight-day residential conference is one of the best-structured genealogy events in the world. The Ulster Historical Foundation has been running “Tracing Your Irish Ancestors” for decades, drawing family historians from North America, Australia, and across Europe to Belfast each September. You get hands-on archive time at PRONI, expert guidance from the Foundation’s research team, and a programme of heritage tours that puts the records you find into real landscape and context. It suits complete beginners and experienced researchers equally - the format is flexible enough to let you spend every day buried in ledgers if that is what you need.
The eight days run from 2 to 9 September 2026, based in Belfast with tours radiating outward. PRONI - the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland - is the main research base. It holds church registers, landed estate records, pre-1858 wills, court papers, and over 1.5 million catalogued documents. The reading room seats 78, most places have power points for laptops, and the Foundation’s researchers circulate to help you break through brick walls.
Each day you choose between archive time and guided excursions. The tour programme for 2026 includes the Giant’s Causeway and Glens of Antrim, the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh (which recreates the emigrant journey across the Atlantic), Newgrange and Brú na Bóinne, Barons Court estate, the Titanic Belfast museum, Derry’s walled city, and Armagh Cathedral. Six lunches and three dinners are included, and the group is capped at 45 people, which keeps things personal.
The full conference fee is £1,199 GBP. A deposit of £350 secures your place, with the balance payable later. Returning delegates can contact the Foundation for a discounted rate. Accommodation is not included; Belfast city centre hotels are a short taxi or bus ride from PRONI in the Titanic Quarter.
Belfast is served by two airports: George Best Belfast City Airport (a ten-minute taxi to the city centre) and Belfast International Airport (about 30 minutes by road). Translink operate regular bus and rail services across Northern Ireland. From Dublin, Enterprise trains run direct to Belfast Lanyon Place station several times daily - the journey takes about two hours. PRONI itself is in the Titanic Quarter, roughly a mile from Lanyon Place, and is served by Metro bus routes from the city centre. If you are driving, there is car parking on site at 2 Titanic Boulevard.
September is a good month in Belfast - summer crowds have thinned but the city’s museums, restaurants and music venues are all in full swing. The Titanic Belfast museum is a short walk from PRONI and worth an evening visit. There is more to see in Belfast and across Co. Antrim.
Heading to Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and Belfast venues in Belfast? Antrim has plenty more to see. Read the Belfast area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.