The Georgian Customs House on the River Liffey Dublin Eire


The Custom House is a neoclassical 18th century building in Dublin Ireland which houses the Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government It is located on the north bank of the River Liffey on Custom House Quay between Butt Bridge and Talbot Memorial Bridge It was designed by James Gandon to act as the new custom house for Dublin Port When it was completed in 1791 it cost 200 000 to build Ñ a huge sum at the time The four facades of the building are decorated with coats of arms and ornamental sculptures representing Ireland s rivers As the port of Dublin moved further downriver the building s original use for collecting custom duties became obsolete and it was used as the headquarters of local government in Ireland During the Anglo Irish War in 1921 the Irish Republican Army burnt down the Custom House in an attempt to disrupt British rule in Ireland Gandon s original interior was completely destroyed in the fire and the central dome collapsed A large quantity of irreplaceable historical records were also destroyed in the fire including parish records of Irish births marriages and deaths going back in some cases to the Middle Ages Despite achieving its objectives the attack on the Custom House was a disaster for the IRA because a large number of its members were captured fleeing the scene


Size: 5130px × 3420px
Photo credit: © MOB IMAGES / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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