Art Unlocked is an exciting project at The Linen Hall to catalogue, conserve and preserve our collection of paintings, prints and drawings. Many of these record life in and around Belfast throughout the Library’s long history. Just like the books on our shelves, the art collection is significant for the stories it holds. It is an archive of our visual culture, and a record of how society has changed.
The Linen Hall holds one of the world’s largest collections of Scottish poet Robert Burns’s works and associated miscellany outside of Scotland. Former governor Andrew Gibson (1841 – 1931) is to thank in large part for this collection. The story behind the purchase and maintenance of the collection is fascinating.
The Linen Hall has an expansive and insightful Irish Language collection. Beginning with material dating from the 18th century, the collection is made up of historic and contemporary material. A treasure of the collection is the Robert McAdam Comparative Lexicon.
In 2023 The Linen Hall’s Origins and Legacies: The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement project marked the 25th anniversary of the Agreement with a series of events, an exhibition, and an oral history project.
The Linen Hall (Belfast Library And Society For Promoting Knowledge) is registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC 104 564.
