Europe Explored » cultural relics https://europeexplored.com Travel through the most beautiful places in Europe Sun, 08 Sep 2013 13:36:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=3.6 Two Of The Best Museums In Dublin, Ireland https://europeexplored.com/2012/12/26/two-of-the-best-museums-in-dublin-ireland/ https://europeexplored.com/2012/12/26/two-of-the-best-museums-in-dublin-ireland/#comments Wed, 26 Dec 2012 14:18:18 +0000 Claire https://europeexplored.com/?p=12635 For the cultural tourist, Dublin does not disappoint. The city as it stands is a palimpsest of times gone by, with old churches, remnants of the city walls and bullet holes on the façades of stone buildings all harking back to different periods of Irish history. For any tourist interested in history and the arts, […]

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]]> For the cultural tourist, Dublin does not disappoint. The city as it stands is a palimpsest of times gone by, with old churches, remnants of the city walls and bullet holes on the façades of stone buildings all harking back to different periods of Irish history. For any tourist interested in history and the arts, Dublin hosts many museums, each housing cultural relics and pieces of art. If you want to get a taste of culture during your stay in Dublin, here are two of the museums that have the most to offer.

The National Gallery of Ireland

The National Gallery of Ireland was established in the 1860s and has since amassed an impressive collection of art, both Irish and European. Before one even enters the building, it’s hard not to pause a moment to take in its external appearance. The gallery is a traditional, noble-looking stone building on the Merrion Square side, while its Millenium Wing, which one can enter from Clare Street, was built in the Brutalist style and presents an ultramodern appearance to passers-by on that side of the building. Some of the highlights from the collection include Caravaggio’s “The Taking of the Christ”, which was thought to be lost until the 1990s when it was found in a Jesuit building in Dublin, Irish painter William Leech’s “Convent Garden, Brittany c. 1912” and the beautiful, expressionist works of Jack B. Yeats, brother to the renowned poet William B. Yeats.

The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin by Kaihsu Tai

The Chester Beatty Library

This intimate museum is nestled between Dublin Castle and its Coach House. It was established in the year 2000, won “European Museum of the Year” in 2002 and has been described by The Lonely Planet guide as “not just the best museum in Ireland, but one of the best in Europe”. The museum hosts a small, but wonderfully curated collection of manuscripts, ancient texts, prints and drawings and its “Sacred Traditions” section gives a comprehensive and fascinating view of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. One of the highlights of the collection is one of the first illustrated versions of “The Life of the Prophet”. As well as the permanent collections, the museum hosts interesting temporary exhibitions and has a wonderful little café where you can eat Middle Eastern food as you mull over what you have seen.

Chester Beatty Libary, Dublin, Ireland
Chester Beatty Libary, Dublin, Ireland by Charles Curling

If you are planning on staying in Dublin, once you have organised your accommodation, you should read up on some of the other museums in the city as there really is something for everyone, so you won’t be disappointed during your stay in the capital of the Emerald Isle.

This article was written by travel agent Timothy Smith who organises short term lets Dublin for tourists.

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