page_title: The Custom House
section_title: Use and redevelopment
hierarchical_section_title: The Custom House / History / Use and redevelopment
caption_attribution_description: English: The Custom House in Dublin at night.
context_page_description: The Custom House is a neoclassical 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of Housing, Planning 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.
context_section_description: 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 the Local Government Board for Ireland. During the Irish War of Independence 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. Despite achieving its objectives, the attack on the Custom House was a setback for the IRA as a large number of Volunteers were captured either during the attack or when falling back.
  After the Anglo-Irish Treaty, it was restored by the Irish Free State government. The results of this reconstruction can still be seen on the building's exterior today – the dome was rebuilt using Irish Ardbraccan limestone which is noticeably darker than the Portland stone used in the original construction.  This was done as an attempt to promote Irish resources.
  Further restoration and cleaning of the stonework was done by an Office of Public Works team in the 1980s.
caption: The Custom House at night
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