Harold's Cross

 

We are delighted to welcome Fionnuala Croke, Director of the Chester Beatty Library, to the Rosary Pastoral Centre on Monday evening 8 May at 7.30pm to tell the story of “Chester Beatty: from Mining to Manuscripts”

 

Once the private library of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968), the Chester Beatty Library (CBL) is today a museum with an extraordinary collection of manuscripts, rare books and other treasures from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. Chester Beatty’s relocation to Dublin from London in 1950 surprised many, but for a number of years he had been concerned with how he might develop his private passion into an enduring legacy. Once settled in Ireland, he built a library for his beloved collection and set up a trust to ensure it would remain intact, for the benefit of the Irish nation. Fionnuala will talk to us about Chester Beatty, his life and collecting, and how the Library continues his ethos of making the collections are accessible and enjoyable for visitors from all over the world.

 

Fionnuala Croke is an art historian and Director of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. She has published on a wide range of art-related subjects and has curated numerous exhibitions: her new guide to the CBL, ‘Director’s Choice’ was published in April.  Prior to joining the CBL, Fionnuala was Keeper & Head of Collections at the National Gallery of Ireland. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Schoolof Art History & Cultural Policy, UCD; Chair of the Council of National Cultural Institutions in Ireland; and Chair of the Asia-Europe Museum Network (ASEMUS).