Take a journey across continents, countries and peoples, as you discover treasures of rare quality and beauty from across the globe. This world renowned, award winning museum showcases rich and diverse exhibitions of miniature paintings, decorative arts, manuscripts, prints and drawings, from Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. All pieces were donated to the Irish nation by American mining magnate and philanthropist, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968).
Described by Lonely Planet as ‘not just the best museum in Ireland but one of the best in Europe’, and the only Irish museum to ever win European Museum of the Year, the Chester Beatty’s extraordinary collections span centuries, continents and cultures and offer visitors a fascinating view of global artistic heritage.
An engaging and welcoming space, visitors from Ireland and overseas can enjoy thought-provoking exhibitions, browse in the Gift Shop, or take a rest-stop in the Silk Road Café serving Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.
No pre-booking is required to visit Chester Beatty. Visitors can download a free audio tour in 13 languages (English, Irish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Turkish and Dutch) to self-guide through their visit. Free guided tours are available on select dates and need to be pre-booked.
- Drop-in Drawing with Roxana Manouchehri
Free things to doDrop-in Drawing with Roxana Manouchehri Join a free drop-in art drawing activity at Chester Beatty, Dublin with artist Roxana Manouchehri this summer.
- Annotating Islamic Manuscripts. Scribes & Readers
AutumnAnnotating Islamic Manuscripts. Scribes & Readers Join a Hybrid Talk with Dr Stefanie Brinkmann & Dr Asma Helali on 'Annotating Islamic Manuscripts. Scribes & Readers' at Chester Beatty. Islamic manuscripts are often heavily annotated, reflecting the vivid interaction between the user and the text.
- Talk: Putting the Text in a Picture Frame
AutumnTalk: Putting the Text in a Picture Frame Join Dr Stephen Carlson for a free Hybrid Talk 'Putting the Text in a Picture Frame' at Chester Beatty this November.
- Talk: Messy Books Tell Stories
AutumnTalk: Messy Books Tell Stories Join a free Hybrid Talk from Professor Matthew Keegan, 'Messy Books Tell Stories' from Chester Beatty this December.
Enjoy a yoga or Qigong class on the lovely rooftop.