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A Maxell cassette tape, a VHS video tape, and a modern smartphone on table.

Carrick Hill archive opens free in Belfast

Carrick Hill residents now have free public access to a new digital community archive in Belfast, with stories, memories and footage from the area available on an interactive touchscreen at Carrick Hill Community Centre.

The Carrick Hill community archive access point is open to all who visit the centre. Belfast City Council published details of the project on 22 June 2026. No fixed start date, opening time or booking requirement was listed in the source information.

Detail Information
Venue Carrick Hill Community Centre, Carrick Hill, Belfast
Access Open to all to visit the centre
Cost Free
Time No specific opening time listed in the source
Best for Local residents, families, community groups and anyone with a Carrick Hill connection

A touchscreen archive built from local memory

The exhibition-style portal brings together around 60 pieces of hyper-local community content, including digitised video and audio material from cassettes and VHS tapes. The collection had been at risk of being lost over time before the material was captured, catalogued and made available for public viewing.

The work was developed with Nerve Centre, Belfast Stories and Carrick Hill Residents’ Association. The project grew from engagement with Carrick Hill Community Group in July 2024, when the first aim was to explore a short-term storytelling project using immersive film.

Storytelling sessions with residents then drew out memories of Carrick Hill through the years. Community leaders also pointed to an older archive documenting the area and its people, giving the project a deeper preservation role.

Faces, places and recordings returned to the community

Frank Dempsey of Carrick Hill Residents’ Association said the stories belong to the people of Carrick Hill, and that archiving, protecting and sharing them again means a great deal locally.

He said younger people are already discovering the history of their community in a format that feels accessible, while older residents are recognising faces, places and memories linked to their own lives in the area.

The project used bespoke Story Engine technology developed through the Augment the City programme. According to the source, the technology helped enhance video and audio quality, catalogue the material and identify connections between stories.

Niall Kerr, Head of Heritage and Community Relations at Nerve Centre, described the project as an example of technology supporting community storytelling, with time spent building trust before unlocking an archive that could otherwise have been lost.

How to see the Carrick Hill archive

The archive portal is installed on a touchscreen in Carrick Hill Community Centre. It is available at Carrick Hill Residents’ Association and is open to all to visit the centre and have a look.

The source also says there are plans for further events and community activities to encourage more people to explore and contribute to the collection. Wendy Langham, Programme Director of Belfast Stories, said communities across the city will continue to play a role in shaping the wider Belfast Stories journey.

Source: Belfast City Council

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Niamh McAllister

Niamh McAllister

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Niamh McAllister covers Belfast civic affairs with a focus on council decisions, neighbourhood services, planning, housing, transport and community safety. She has a background in local newsroom editing and public interest reporting, with an emphasis on checking source material, explaining official updates in plain English, and highlighting how municipal choices affect residents, traders and voluntary groups across the city

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