Opened in 1792 (Designed by James Gandon, the same men who designed Four Courts further up the river), it only functioned as a custom house until 1800 when customs were abolished between GB and Ireland thanks to the Act of Union. It was seen as a symbol of British oppression: when the nationalist party Sinn Fein celebrated their victory at the elections the IRA set it on fire (it burned for 5 days destroying many records) to undermine British administration in Ireland! Renovated, it houses government offices today. Did you know that the building on Vámház körút - which is the University of Economics today - was built and functioned as a Custom House?
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