The Chester Beatty Library is an art museum and library; it houses the vast collections of Alfred Chester Beatty. It has been described by the Lonely Planet as not just the best museum in Ireland, but one of the best in Europe.

Born in New York in 1875 Alfred Chester Beatty was a collector of Oriental art, books, manuscripts, Paintings, Prints, Rare Books and Decorative Arts. Upon his death in 1968, he was accorded a state funeral by the Irish government – one of the few private citizens in Irish history to receive such an honour. He bequeathed the Chester Beatty Library to Dublin.

The Library's collections are displayed in two collections: "Sacred Traditions" and "Artistic Traditions". On display are great artistic treasures of culture and history from The Middle East, Africa and Europe. Beautiful copies of the Qur’an, the Bible, European Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts are some of the many fascinating documents. There are many exhibitions to visit including The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, which are 17th Century Japanese Picture scrolls. Also on display is an extensive collections of carved snuff bottles.

The Library was named Irish Museum of the year in 2000 and was awarded European Museum of the year in 2002.

The Silk Road Café at the Library offers a range of mouth-watering menus from Afghanistan, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Morocco and Palestine, as well as Ireland, it also caters for conference delegates and all evening receptions.

Admission Fees: 

Free