The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in partnership with the Northern Ireland War Memorial (NIWM) welcome you to a talk by Dr Tom Hulme.

When the linen merchant David Strain died in the late 1960s, his diaries – covering 1920-1943 and 1962-1969, and containing about two million words – were deposited in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Almost entirely unknown until recently, they are perhaps one of the richest sources we have for how gay men lived beyond the major metropolises such as London, New York, and Berlin. In this illustrated lecture, Dr Tom Hulme tells David Strain’s story for the first time: how he discovered his sexuality, searched for love, and ultimately forged a circle of gay friends in Belfast.

Dr Tom Hulme is a lecturer at QUB in the School Of History, Anthropology, Philosophy And Politics.

Dr Hulme’s current research is focused on the history of Irish sexuality, particularly of male same-sex desire, from the 19th to mid-20th century.

He can also supervise more broadly in modern urban history in Britain, Ireland and the USA, in relation to: the culture of citizenship and belonging; urban festivals and celebrations; and practices of civic history and re-enactment.

The lecture will take place on Thursday 27 February 2025 at PRONI (2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast, BT3 9HQ) starting at 7pm.

* Register for a FREE ticket via Eventbrite: Confirmed Bachelor: The Belfast Diaries of David Strain *