Chester Beatty made his start as a ‘mucker’ on the lowest rung of the mining ladder during the famous Colorado gold rush of the last years of 19th Century but he would go on to be one of the most famous mining engineers in the world. His business interests expanded to Russia and Africa in the 1920s which made him a great fortune and the title “king of copper”. He moved to England in the 1930s and became an admirer and close friend of Winston Churchill. He donated heavily to the British war effort and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in her first year on the throne. He also founded the Chester Beatty Institute in London which was later renamed the Institute of Cancer Research.
His paternal roots are in Armagh and Mountrath and, disillusioned by the anti-wealth, socialist policies of the post war Labour Government in the UK, he began to look for a new home for his collection. Through an introduction by the Aga Khan, Beatty began to have discussions with members of the Irish Diplomatic Corps and eventually with the Irish Government which ended with him moving his entire collection to Dublin. Initially the Library was for the use of scholars and friends but ultimately it was opened to the public. The relationship between Beatty and Ireland was a warm one and he became the first person to receive honorary citizenship of Ireland and upon his death, the first private citizen in Irish history ever to receive a state funeral.
The Chester Beatty library was originally based in Shrewsbury Road in Ballsbridge and then relocated to Dublin Castle is the only museum in Ireland to win ‘European Museum of the Year’. Some of the exquisite treasures include the 9th Century Qu’ran from Shiraz, some of the earliest known copies of the four gospels and Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of St Paul, the Book of Revelation. As a result it has become a place of pilgrimage for biblical scholars. It also contains the largest collection of jade books from the Imperial Court outside China. In Ireland’s increasingly diverse cultural landscape the library offers many people living in Ireland their only chance to view treasures from their cultural homelands.
As only 1% of the collection is ever on display this is a wonderful opportunity to gain access to this stunning collection but also crucially to learn what goes into the work of preserving these precious works. We meet with the team of experts at the Chester Beatty Library as they make their preparations for their ‘best of the best’ highlights show which opened in October 2018.
On his death President Eamon De Valera said “ The name of Chester Beatty will continue to be mentioned with gratitude by future generations in this island which he chose as his home and the object of a noble-minded patronage’.