I would like to swim in the Liffey,
but it is too cold and dirty.
No view of Dublin's skyline is complete without a tableau of the Custom House,
one of Dublin's finest Georgian buildings.
Designed by James Gandon and completed in 1791,
it is beautifully proportioned,
with a long classical façade of graceful pavilions, arcades, columns;
a central dome topped by a 16 foot- statue of Commerce;
and 14 keystones over the doors and windows,
known as the Riverine Heads because they respect the Atlantic Ocean
and the 13 principal rivers of Ireland.
Although burned to a shell in 1921, this building has been masterfully restored
and its bright Portland stone recently cleaned.