The Linen Hall
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LIBRARY, ARCHIVE & MUSEUM The Linen Hall is the oldest library in Belfast. We are an accredited museum and a living archive holding world-renowned collections.
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Joined March 2009
Looking for a thoughtful gift for your book loving Valentine? We have a fantastic range of quality literary themed gifts available on Level 2. Or start a love affair with The Linen Hall by treating yourself or your loved one to membership - #ValentinesDay #booklovers
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Featuring images from the archives of the Linen Hall, Anne McMaster's exploration of women's writing Out of the Silence is a must watch tonight at 10:40pm on BBC NI. @BBCnireland @doublebandfilms
Out Of The Silence - Airs TOMORROW Tuesday 11th February 10.40pm on @BBCnireland Poet Anne McMaster explores how writing has moved from the margins to the mainstream for women and how Ulster-Scots has been embraced and revitalised by a new generation.
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Poetry, Archives, Justice: Celebrating International Women’s Day 4th March – 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm £5.00 – £6.50 Femina Culpa consists of Linda McKenna, Kelly Creighton, Emma McKervey and Milena Williamson. Their recent poetry collections were written out of historical research and archival materials, based on nineteenth-century court cases and the lives of working-class women. Linda explores the case of Elizabeth Dunham, who was tried in the Old Bailey and sent down to Bedlam. Kelly’s pamphlet investigates the case of the Staten Island witch, Polly Bodine. Emma’s work explores the story of her great grandparents whose love letters between Greenock and the Outer Hebrides were intercepted and resulted in a Sheriff’s Court Case in Stornoway. Milena’s work investigates the case of Bridget Cleary, who was murdered by her family on suspicion of being a fairy changeling. Join Femina Culpa as they read from their collections and share the compelling stories of the women who have inspired their poetry. Please visit our website for more information: #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast
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The "Finding the Rebel Women of County Antrim" event, held today at the Linen Hall Library, was a great success and enjoyed by all who attended. Dr Margaret Ward's insightful talk shed light on the pivotal roles played by the women of Cumann na mBan in early 20th-century Antrim. We have a wide range of events coming up in the next month including talks, tours and exhibitions. Please visit the What’s On section of our website for more information: #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast
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January Round-up! An exciting start to 2025 at The Linen Hall The new year began with a packed calendar at The Linen Hall, bringing together art, literature, history, and thought-provoking discussions. The Winter Exhibition with Antrim Art Club transformed our space with a vibrant display of local talent. Visitors enjoyed a diverse collection of landscapes, portraits, and abstract pieces, with many artworks finding new homes. We look forward to welcoming these talented artists back in the future. Our Andrew Gibson Memorial Lecture drew a great crowd as Dr Jennifer Orr explored the poetic influence of Edinburgh’s Robert Fergusson on Ulster poets James Orr and Samuel Thomson. The event marked the 10th year of this popular lecture and celebrated Ulster’s literary links with Scotland. January also saw an important discussion on mother and baby institutions and Magdalene laundries, led by Professor Sean O’Connell, co-chair of the Truth Recovery Independent Panel. The discussion focussed on the panel’s approach to the testimonies of victims-survivors and its work in laying the foundations for a future public inquiry. For Holocaust Memorial Day, Noel Russell gave a powerful talk on The Saved and the Spurned: Northern Ireland, Vienna and the Holocaust. His research uncovered the little-known story of Jewish refugees who sought safety in Northern Ireland in 1938 under a Stormont employment scheme. Some were granted entry, while over 125 others were denied and were later murdered in the Holocaust. Folklore expert Róise Ní Bhaoill gave a wonderful account of the traditions and rituals associated with Imbolc. There was lively discussion in the packed room around Brigid, the Celtic deity and the saint, and around the ways in which this great Celtic festival has been and is celebrated. Beyond events, The Linen Hall has been buzzing with activity. Irish and Italian language courses welcomed new learners, and our long-running book clubs returned for another season. A new weekly political collection tour was launched, giving visitors a closer look at some of the most significant documents and artefacts in our archives. A huge thank you to all our speakers, funders and audiences who help us to make The Linen Hall a thriving space for culture and learning. To support our work and become a member, please visit our membership page: #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast
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Fantastic storytelling and ‘imagination workout’ with the amazing Máire Zepf today as part of the Playful Museums Festival. Thanks to Máire, the Northern Ireland Museums Council, and the great group of little ones and team from Naíscoil Bheann Mhadagáin for bringing such joy and excellent ‘roaring’ to the Linen Hall.
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RT @CaraFriendNI: From 3rd - 28th February the 'Founding Cara-Friend' exhibition will be displayed throughout the Vertical Gallery at @thel…
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1842 Journal of a Passage from Belfast to New York 26th February – 6pm – 7pm £5.00 – £6.50 Join Senior Library Assistant at The Linen Hall, Seán Corr, for an illustrated talk focusing on the 1842 Journal of a Passage From Belfast to New York. This fascinating handwritten journal from The Linen Hall archives provides us with a detailed account of a six-week journey of the passenger ship New Zealand, which departed Belfast in May 1842, and arrived at New York City in early July of that year. The anonymous author describes incidents of note during the voyage, his interactions with his fellow passengers, as well as mentioning some of the literature he was reading on the journey. The journal gives us a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of a typical transatlantic voyage from almost two centuries ago. Please visit our website for more information: #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast
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Founding Cara-Friend Panel Discussion 12th February – 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Free To complement the Founding Cara-Friend exhibition, which celebrates the legacy of Northern Ireland’s oldest LGBTQIA+ charity, join us for an informal lunchtime panel discussion about the experiences of the volunteers whose courage created a lifeline for thousands of gay, lesbian, bi and trans people during some of the darkest days of the Troubles. In discussion will be Brian Gilmore, Heather Fleming and Richard Kennedy, volunteer activists who helped set up Cara-Friend’s services, including letter-writing, telephone helpline and befriending support both pre- and post-decriminalisation of homosexuality. The panel will be joined by Dr Molly Merryman from Kent State University, who has been interviewing Cara-Friend volunteers about their past experiences as part of the exhibition. Please visit our website for more information: #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast
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NEW - Political Collection Tour - Every Wednesday 2:30 pm - 3:45 pm | £10 Come and explore The Linen Hall’s world-renowned political collection every Wednesday on a collections-based tour which explores the history of the recent past through the prism of the rare and unique artefacts and objects we have been collecting for over 50 years. Started in 1968 with one civil rights leaflet, this incredible collection now holds over 350,000 items; encompassing all shades of opinion, it is the definitive archive of the ‘Troubles’, peace process, and beyond. The tour is a not to be missed opportunity to engage with this rich and diverse collection and the authentic insights it gives into this momentous period of history. Our 5th February tour is sold out. Tour dates available to book at time of writing: 29 January 12 February 19 February 26 February 5 March 12 March 19 March 26 March More dates will become available, please keep an eye on our social media and website. For more information and to book please visit the Tours section of our website: #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast
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We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Michael Longley, one of our greatest and most esteemed poets. Michael was an honorary member of The Linen Hall and a longstanding supporter of the library. It was always a huge honour and delight to have him read his poetry here, and we were lucky that he did so many times. We will miss his great poetic gifts, his huge generosity of spirit, and his wonderful sense of mischief and fun. Our condolences go to his wife Edna, to his family and friends, and to all those who loved him.
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For the safety of our members and staff, The Linen Hall will be closed tomorrow, Friday 24 January, due to the red weather warning in relation to Storm Éowyn. We hope to be open as usual on Monday.
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Sick of the wet weather? Transport yourself to Italy every week at The Linen Hall with our wonderful range of Italian classes starting on Monday 27th January. Our Absolute Beginner’s Italian course has already sold out, but there are a few spaces left on both our: Beginners Italian (Continuation) Course - for those with some basic knowledge. and Lower Intermediate Italian Course - for those with a good foundation in spoken Italian. Please visit our website via the links above for more information. #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast
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Founding Cara-Friend 3rd February - 28th February This exhibition preserves and celebrates the legacy of Cara-Friend, Northern Ireland’s oldest LGBTQIA+ charitable organisation. This photographic exhibition, containing 21 portraits taken by photographer Timothy O’Connell, explores the experiences of Cara-Friend volunteers from the 1970s and 1980s in their own words. The exhibition also includes clips from audio-visual interviews and items from Cara-Friend archives. This exhibition is free to attend. Please visit our website for more information. #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast
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Finding the Rebel Women of County Antrim 7th February – 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm £5.00 – £6.50 The early years of the twentieth century saw nationalists in County Antrim fighting for their survival during a war intended to achieve the complete separation of Ireland from Britain. In Belfast and in the isolated communities of the Glens of Antrim the republican women of Cumann na mBan played an essential role. Not only did they organise arms dumps, shelter men on the run, hide money and documents, provide weaponry for operations, care for the wounded and organise effective communication systems, they also paid the price in terms of raids and imprisonment. Their story has never before been told. In this talk, feminist historian Dr Margaret Ward will discuss the new archival sources and the information from some of the relatives of these forgotten activists that has enabled her to construct compelling accounts of the courageous contributions of over fifty women. For more information and to book a ticket, please visit our website: #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast
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The Linen Hall is thrilled and honoured to announce that UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage will make an exclusive Belfast visit to the library when he embarks on the next ‘L to M’ leg of his ten-year tour of the UK’s libraries. The Linen Hall has been selected as one of the libraries representing the letter ‘L’ and will be the finale of the 2025 tour. #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage embarks on the next leg of his ten-year tour of UK libraries, 3-11 March. For details of events, see
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Many thanks to Dr Jennifer Orr who took to the stage today to deliver our 10th annual Andrew Gibson Memorial Lecture. Jennifer provided an insightful talk examining the poetic influence of the Edinburgh poet Robert Fergusson on the work of James Orr of Ballycarry and Samuel Thomson of Templepatrick. If you would like to attend future talks held at The Linen Hall, across a wide range of subjects from the arts to politics and beyond, please visit the What’s On section of our website: #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast
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Absolute Beginners Italian 27th January – 12:15 pm - 1:45 pm £50.00 – £55.00 Join us for a 10-week course designed for absolute beginners, guided by the experienced tutor, Giada Mangiardi. Giada will use pair and group work, games, role play and a variety of immersive activities to provide participants with a fun and interactive introduction to the Italian language. Dates: Monday 27 January Monday 3 February Monday 10 February Monday 17 February Monday 24 February Monday 3 March Monday 10 March Monday 24 March Monday 31 March Monday 7 April There will be no class on 17 March. Please visit our website for more information and to book tickets: #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast #Italian
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IMBOLC: The Return of the Light 31st January – 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm £5.00 – £6.50 Join folklore expert Róise Ní Bhaoill as she explores the traditions and rituals associated with Imbolc, the second festival of the Celtic calendar. Imbolc represents the return of the light, the end of the Cailleach’s reign and the beginning of Brigid’s. The festival is associated with both a Celtic deity and a Christian saint. Róise will explore this important time of growth and renewal, with its purification and fertility rituals, its crosses, cloths and biddies. For more information and to book a ticket, please visit our website: #LinenHall #OpeningMinds #Belfast #IMBLOC
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