Intercultural
Education Services
We offer a wide variety of programmes designed to foster better understanding of our European, Middle Eastern, Asian and East Asian collections.
Included are activities for all age groups including family days, children's workshops, tours, films, lunchtime talks and much more.
Dublin City of Science 2012
The Library and CALMAST (Centre for the Advancement of Learning and Maths, Science and Technology) will present a series of interactive handling sessions and workshops for children to highlight the week in July. The Library holds a significant collection of scientific material in its European, Islamic and East Asian collections and a gallery trail will be available for visitors.
EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2012
2012 is the designated year to mark cultural relations between Europe and China. The Library is delighted to celebrate this with a series of exhibitions, events and partnerships.
China through the Lens of John Thomson 1868-1872 was held in the Chester Beatty Library from 17 November 2011 to 26 February 2012. It is an exhibition of photographs taken in the late part of the 19th century offering fascinating insights into life in China. The exhibition is on loan from the Wellcome Trust.
Multi-Media Project for Young People
The Library and the Forum on Migration and Communications (FOMACS) will run training sessions for young adults to develop curatorial skills around China through the Lens of John Thomson 1868-1872 utilising multimedia to communicate with their peers. The project will be showcased in September.
Meet the Community
Meet the Community offers visitors a chance to experience a variety of cultural events as well as meet members of the Asian, Middle Eastern, South East Asian and European communities. As part of our public programme the Library hosts a number of events ranging from workshops, music performances, art demonstrations, cookery demonstrations and family days. These events have been specially organised as part of the exhibition programme.
See Events & News for more details.
Community Ambassador Programme
Did you know the Library now offers tours in Mandarin, Arabic and Japanese? These tours are made available through our new Community Ambassador Programme, the first of its kind in Ireland, which aims to promote the Library's exhibitions to multi-ethnic communities. For more details about the programme, please contact Justyna Chmielewska on tel: 4070772, email: jchmielewska@cbl.ie
Family Activity Packs
We've updated our activity packs based on your valuable feedback! A newly designed booklet with activities, puzzles, crosswords and a colouring book are available for 5-11 years and colouring activities for under 5s.
Packs are available the first weekend of each month on Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm and are free of charge.
Guided tours
The Chester Beatty Library offers a variety of tours including
- public tours: Wednesdays at 1 P.M. and Sundays at 3 and 4 P.M.
- group tours: must be booked in advance. Please fill in the Guided tours form.
Activities for Children
Silk Worm Club for six-
to eleven-year-olds
If you are curious about the marvels of the Chester Beatty Library collection and you like stories, art, craft, music and dance, this is the club to join! See Events & News for more details. Please note the Chester Beatty Library has a Child Protection Policy in place and we request parents/guardians to comply.
Lunchtime lectures
These regular talks offer an opportunity to hear curators, artists or scholars speak about works on display, special exhibitions or other aspects of the arts and cultures of Europe, the Middle East, Asia and East Asia.
See Events & News for more details.
Demonstrations
The Library hosts a number of demonstrations throughout the year in a number of techniques such as origami (Japanese paper folding), calligraphy, poetry, music and lots more.
See Events & News for more details.
Family days
Since 2000, the Library has engaged with a number of communities and celebrated cultural festivals including the Chinese New Year, Diwali, Christmas and Easter.
These are marked on an annual basis and details can be found in Events & News.
Links
If you are interested in Asian, East Asian, Islamic and European art there are resources available on our links page.