Chester Beatty Library | Sightseeing

Chester Beatty’s library has been described as the finest collection of manuscripts and books made by a private collector in the 20th century. It includes representative samples of the world’s heritage (artistic, religious and secular) from about 2700 BC to the present century.

The Chester Beatty library is situated in the heart of the Dublin, it is an art Museum and Library which houses the great collection assembled by Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968). His collections are now located in Dublin Castle.

The three main collections housed in the library are;

1 Western Collections

2 Islamic Collections

3 East Asian Collections

The Library was named Irish Museum of the year and was recently awarded the title of European Museum of the year, a coveted International Museum of the world. The Library is one of the premier sources for scholarship in both the Old and New Testaments and is home to one of the most significant collections of Islamic and Far Eastern artefacts.

Admission to the library is free

Opening dates and hours:

March to October: Monday to Friday, 10.00 A.M. to 5.00 P.M.

November to February: Tuesday to Friday, 10.00 A.M. to 5.00 P.M (Closed Mondays).

Saturday, 11.00 A.M. to 5.00 P.M. (All year)

Sunday, 1.00 P.M. to 5.00 P.M. (All year)

Closed 1 January; Good Friday; 24, 25 and 26 December; and Monday public holidays.