As soon as Whitney, Nicole, and I entered the Beatty Library, it became clear to us that we had not allowed enough time to fully explore this incredible space. This evening when we returned to campus, we checked the schedule to determine when we could return to the library. We plan to visit again before leaving Dublin.

As I was reading about Beatty, a few things stood out immediately, much of which is summed up in the title of this blog post and is a quote attributed to him: “It was all a great adventure.” Beatty viewed life as an adventure. His adventurous spirit is relatable, especially because I have traveled so many miles away from home to better understand Irish literature, history, and culture. There’s a hint of a kindred spirit in him.

On a somewhat superficial note, I was awestruck to learn that Beatty had his own librarian. The sheer volume of his collection necessitated a personal librarian. This unique factoid is a testament to the seriousness with which he viewed his collection. Beatty’s enrichment of Dublin (and the world given that his collection is showcased at many other museums) through his collection of ancient texts is invaluable. His approach to collecting these types of artifacts is the right one – his desire was for these materials to be accessible to the masses. The library itself is laid out beautifully (although the impossibility of taking pictures is almost painful), and I appreciate the timelines and explanations that accompany the texts. Beatty was clearly interested in religion, and given the volatile tensions between various religions, it’s surreal to see Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic texts peacefully occupy the same space. The sheer beauty of these papyri, scrolls, and books is overwhelming. I look forward to spending more time exploring Beatty’s collection and learning about him.