Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland | Library

Situated in the heart of Ireland's capital city of Dublin, the Chester Beatty Library is an art museum and Library which houses the great collection of manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and some decorative arts assembled by Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968). The Chester Beatty Library's exhibitions open a window on the artistic treasures of the great cultures and religions of the world. Its rich collection from countries across Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe offers visitors a visual feast.   Chester Beatty Library was named Irish Museum of the year in 2000 and was awarded the title European Museum of the Year in 2002.
Egyptian papyrus texts, beautifully illuminated copies of the Qur'an, the Bible, European medieval and renaissance manuscripts are among the highlights of the collection found in the Chester Beatty Library. Turkish and Persian miniatures and striking Buddhist paintings are also on display, as are Chinese dragon robes and Japanese woodblock prints. In its diversity, the collection captures much of the richness of human creative expression from about 2700 BC to the present day.
The Chester Beatty Library is housed in the eighteenth-century Clock Tower Building to which an extension for exhibitions was added in the 1990s.
The Clock Tower, Dublin Castle, appeared on Roque's map of Dublin, published in 1756, with nearly the same U-shaped plan as exists today. It has two floors, ground level, with the entrance facing north and a single corridor on the west of each wing.
However, the present structure is a remodelling of the earlier building. It would appear that the north façade and the brick second storey were added early in the nineteenth century. Although there are no records to identify the architect, the Irish Architectural Archive is almost certain that the building was redesigned by Ireland's most important early nineteenth-century architect, Francis Johnston.