Appeal launched for archive of NI public’s pandemic memories

Although it might seem like an unending struggle for most people, some day the Covid-19 pandemic will be a thing of the past, and to that end the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland wants to ensure its story is preserved for future generations.
By Graeme Cousins
Published 3rd Jun 2020, 00:00 BST
PRONI’s ‘Stay Home’ Memories project is launched todayPRONI’s ‘Stay Home’ Memories project is launched today
PRONI’s ‘Stay Home’ Memories project is launched today

PRONI has called on the people of the Province to tell them how coronavirus impacted their lives so that an archive can be created to look back on.

The ‘Stay Home’ Memories project aims to capture people’s experiences of the pandemic through documents, photographs, art, videos and diaries.

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Since lockdown came into effect on March 23, the public have been innovative in adapting to life behind doors – finding new ways to communicate, shop, exercise and entertain.

Videos that have gone viral include the poignant message from staff at Belfast Trust to stay at home, NI comedian Paddy Raff’s spoof of a family Zoom quiz and the Ashfield Boys’ High School virtual performance of Thank You Baked Potato with Matt Lucas.

To supplement these moments PRONI wants people to share how they lived through the Covid-19 pandemic to capture the legacy of how our society adapted to the ‘Stay Home’ directive.

They are seeking memories that capture home schooling, shopping while socially distancing, clapping every Thursday for NHS workers, as well as living rooms that have been turned into movie theatres, kitchen tables turned into work stations, and gardens into obstacle courses.

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Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey said: “The archives at PRONI constitute the official community memory of all citizens here. The Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event that has affected every individual not just here but across the world.

“PRONI has recently marked the centenaries of anniversaries of other global crises including the First World War and the Spanish Flu.

“The reason we have such a good understanding of these events and their impact upon society is because of the records we kept. PRONI has a key role to ensure that the story of the pandemic is preserved and made accessible so we have an official collective memory of the impact of Covid-19.”

As well as asking people to contribute items to the ‘Stay Home’ memories project, PRONI will launch a ‘Stay Home’ census, which will capture key details of daily life during the public health emergency.

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A new ‘Stay Home’ Memories section will also be created on the PRONI web archive based on public recommendations of what to include in the collection. In addition PRONI will hold online workshops and talks from guest speakers.

More details are at www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni

Related topics:Covid-19Paddy RaffDeirdre HargeyProvinceMatt Lucas