We were at the Chester Beatty Library in
Dublin at the weekend.
(Many thanks to the Hayes-McCoys for taking us there)
In a brilliant new (to me) site in Dublin Castle
the library must be in one of the most attractive museum
settings in the country.
As well as a spectacular display of both Christian
and Eastern illustrated manuscripts there are some
beautiful examples of Eastern art.

And some of the fascinating incidentals of oriental life
like these Netsuke which were designed to decorate belt toggles.

There was a Durer exhibition on while we were there.
Among his engravings and wood cuts,was his classic
Four Horsemen of thr Apocalypse.

(For anyone with a taste for 70s trivia it may interest
you to know that the Irish Folk/Rock Band “Horselips”
called themselves after these gentlemen, as they
spoonerised their name into
“The Four Poxmen of the Horselips”)

His skilful but at times slightly unusual take on female
anatomy did make me wonder if he might not have
been allowed copy ladies bottoms from life but had to
make do with bottoms displayed by the 14th Century
equivalent of rugby players.

I say this in all respect to Durer because I saw only
two weeks ago a portrait he did of his Father in the
Tate in London.

This portrait is just full of the most affecting humanity.
I had to buy a post card of it to take home.

While we were leaving the library I noticed a horse mounted Garda patrolling outside warily.
I didn’t realise until later that there was a riot going on in O Connell Street while we were going through the museums’ treasures.