The Chester Beatty Library, in the grounds of Dublin Castle was recommended to me shortly after I moved to Dublin and only with the beckoning of the new year have I gotten around to visiting. Both an art museum and library, the venue houses a great collection of manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and some decorative arts. The pieces were assembled by Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968) an American mining magnate. A beautiful building in its own right, it is a hybrid of older buildings enclosed within glass roofing and expansive display rooms laid out within. Our first port of call was the much praised Silk Road Cafe. With a menu heavily influenced by the Middle East, there was a vibrant fresh display of dishes on offer and as my company put it ‘everything tasted of something’. A mixture of mousakkas, chicken dishes and savoury spiced paninis and wraps - the tasty lunch we had more than made the day before we ever ventured on our tour. A return visit is a must. Despite a number of families having their Sunday lunch around us, the kids were nothing but well behaved, imbued by the serene settings.

The tour was a bit ramshackle with our guide having an at times indecipherable accent and she begun my making her apologies that she may not get everything correct. Nevertheless in only skimming the surface of the various displays she let us know the highlights, introduced us to who Chester Beatty was and we were never in any doubt we would go back and look more comprehensively at the various works. The display is an accessible progression through the origins of the major world religions. It is interesting to read an introduction to ‘What is Christianity’ and even to ponder that a historian had to go about finding the words to describe the core elements of each religion. The treasures, rituals, deities and spread of each religion is captured well through the ornate work of the Qu’ran, printed Japanese scrolls and surviving shreds of the oldest remaining gospels. The most resonance came from ralising the overlapping development of Islam and Christianity knowing the great clash of civilisations these religions embody today and so too compare it to the way in which Buddhism, Daoism and Hinduism spread through the Far East finding they complimented each other addressing matters of body, mind and community. Visit the website here and so too know admission is free.