Friday Keynote Speaker | Fionnuala Croke, Director Chester Beatty Library

On Friday at 9.40am in the Royal Irish Academy we will be delighted to welcome our keynote speaker Fionnuala Croke. In her talk titled The Chester Beatty Library: Exploring Cultural Diversity and Identity Ms Croke will discuss how the Library has developed into a forum for intercultural dialogue and learning; and the conscious role the Library plays in (re)negotiating Irish identity.

Fionnuala Croke is an art historian and Director of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (CBL). She is also Chair of the Asia-Europe Museum Network (ASEMUS); Adjunct Professor in UCD in the School of Art History & Cultural Policy; and Chair of the Council of National Cultural Institutions in Ireland.

The Chester Beatty Library is the pre-eminent Irish institution promoting the appreciation and understanding of world cultures, and the engagement with the peoples whose cultures are represented in the Collections. The Library contains some of the finest treasures of the great cultures and religions of the world. The Collections were bequeathed to the Irish people and entrusted to the care of the State by Chester Beatty (1875–1968), who was a successful American mining engineer, collector and philanthropist.

Delegates are invited to visit the Library on Thursday or Friday as part of the tour or open day. The Library has very generously given each delegate a token for a copy of Islam: Faith, Art and Culture by Elaine Wright, Curator of the Islamic Collections, which will be found in your conference pack. Simply present the token or show your ARLIS badge when you visit the Library to avail of your free copy.