The Linen Hall holds a wide range of freely accessible collections and archives that chart the development of Northern Ireland’s schools and education system. One of the library’s particular strengths is its collections relating to the history of integrated education.
All Children Together (ACT) was formed in 1974 to campaign for greater integration within Northern Ireland’s schools. In 1981, the organisation helped establish Lagan College, the first integrated school in Northern Ireland.
Margaret Kennedy was an active member of ACT and amassed a significant collection of material relating to the organisation’s work. Following Margaret’s passing in 2018, her husband John donated this material to The Linen Hall. The collection has played a significant role in informing the exhibition and programme of events held at the library between May and July 2026.
The archive includes ACT campaign material, newsletters, photographs, documents relating to a range of integrated schools, financial and administrative records, and other ephemera.
The Northern Ireland Political Collection contains a wide range of material relating to the history of integrated education, including:
The Linen Hall holds the archive of Baroness May Blood MBE, a prominent advocate for integrated education and cross-community relations in Northern Ireland. The collection includes awards presented by integrated schools and correspondence such as a letter from President George W. Bush thanking May for arranging a visit to Lough View Primary School.
The archives and collections held at The Linen Hall have been built through the generosity and support of members, donors, and supporters. We are grateful to everyone who contributed material relating to integrated education during this project.
If you hold material relating to integrated education and would like to contribute to the archive, helping to preserve this history for future generations, please contact us at info@linenhall.com.
Below are examples of some items in the archive:
The following poster was produced by All Children Together in 1982 to promote an essay competition for sixth-form students on the theme of ‘segregated education – a barrier or a pathway to peace’.
The winning entry, anonymously credited to ‘A— S—-, 17 yrs. 3 mths.’, was published in the June 1983 issue of ACT–Lett, the All Children Together newsletter.
In awarding the first prize of £50, the judges stated that ‘we believe this young student tackled a very sensitive subject in a very mature way for his years. We commend him and say “well done”.’
Sheila Greenfield was born in St Albans and taught in Sheffield before moving to Belfast in the 1970s. In 1981, she was appointed as the first Principal of Lagan College and remained at the school until 1987.
During her time as Principal, Sheila kept a detailed diary recording developments and events at the school. The three volumes of the diary were kindly donated to the library by Sheila, with the assistance of her daughter Diana.
Below are two key entries from the diaries. The first is from 1 September 1981, the first day at Lagan College, and the second is from 1-2 March 1984, when the school received news that it had been granted Maintained Status, meaning that its running costs would be met by the Department of Education.
‘Tony Spencer [founding parent of Lagan College] said we need a record of this. This is historic and we would like you to keep a record… I do think it was important that each stage got notification and I was quite content to keep news of where we were.’
Sheila Greenfield, founding Principal of Lagan College.
Below are two examples of material relating to integrated schools that opened outside of Belfast in the 1980s. The first is a poster created by the ‘North Coast Education Association’ that in 1987 went on to found Mill Strand Integrated Primary School in Portrush, County Antrim
‘We advertised in the local Coleraine Chronicle and created leaflets that we put around libraries and playgroups… inviting people to a meeting in the leisure centre in Coleraine where we had a few speakers, one or two from other schools… And we actually ended up with about 200 people which we thought was better than our expectation because it was a cold winter night’.
Alan Smith, founder parent of Mill Strand Integrated Primary School
Newsletter produced by the North Coast Education Association, February 1987 and information leaflet for All Children’s Integrated Primary School, c. 1988.
The second item is an ‘information for parents leaflet’ put together by All Children’s Integrated Primary and Nursery School, which opened in Newcastle, County Down, in 1986.
‘I saw an ad in the Mourne Observer, our local paper asking any parents interested in establishing an integrated primary school in the Newcastle area to come along to a public meeting. Now, I already knew about Lagan College and had been following closely about what was going on there, and the Hazelwood schools as well. So, I went along to that public meeting. And on the night, I was elected as the public relations officer and that started my 40-year journey in developing All Children’s Integrated Primary School and Shimna College next door.’
Anne Carr, founder parent of All Children’s Integrated Primary School.
The archive includes a range of integrated school prospectuses, ranging from the first prospectus produced for Lagan College in 1981 to those printed in the 2000s. The archive also includes prospectuses of schools no longer in existence, including Armagh College (2004-2009), Clogher Valley Integrated Primary School (2006-2009) and Lir Integrated Primary School (2004-2006).
School engagement was an important part of the project. The Engagement Officer visited pupils at Priory Integrated College, Fort Hill Integrated Primary School and Forge Integrated Primary School to discuss the history of integrated education and explore what it means to them today.
We also welcomed pupils from Lagan College, Slemish Integrated College, Priory Integrated College and Hazelwood Integrated College to visit the library and see the exhibition.
The archive includes a range of material relating to the Integrated Education Fund and the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education, including annual reports, newsletters, publications and other ephemera.
‘The drive for integrated schools came from small groups of dedicated parents who believed in a dream… That their children should be able to share classrooms with pupils of all faiths and none.
This dream was shared by the people who formed the voluntary board of directors of NICIE. Individuals who helped deliver those schools through their dedication and tenacity with little regard for their own financial and professional reputations.’
Michael Wardlow, former CEO of the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education.
‘The integrated schools had NICIE, but NICIE was very much operational… I felt they needed this independent but supportive source of funding to call on’.
Anthony Tomei, Former Director of the Nuffield Foundation and founding Board member of the Integrated Education Fund.
