Irish readers may have been left considering the sanity of travel writer and filmmaker Maddy Lederman after she compared our River Liffey to its Parisian counterpart, The Seine.

Lederman, writing a travel piece on Dublin for the Huffington Post, wrote a sparkling review of Dublin, and more particularly the sometimes maligned River Liffey.

“The Liffey is the artery of Dublin's distinct and rebellious energy.”

She writes, continuing to commend the architecture of its many unique bridges.

“The Liffey's bridges project whimsy, off-beat beauty and intellectual swagger, from the old-world, cast-iron Ha'Penny Bridge to the Samuel Beckett, a majestic riff on the Celtic harp.”

Lederman may have arrived in the city on the day of the Marriage Referendum results, but she went out of her way to say that the celebrations weren’t the only reason for her commendations.

“I don't want you to think I saw the city through rose-colored glasses or fell in love with it impulsively just because everyone was celebrating and dancing in the streets.”

“Yes, I loved the hype, the hope, the happiness, and the heroism, but Dublin and I fell in love at first sight.”

Our reputation as an island of saints and scholars remains half intact as well it seems. Lederman stumbled across quotes from TS Eliot, F Scott Fitzgerald and Anne Frank scrawled on the bathroom walls of The Porterhouse.

“I learned something about this great city through the graffiti in these bathrooms: Dubliners are an educated citizenry that likes to flaunt its literary prowess.”

She finishes with a flourish, in keeping with the positive nature of the review, leaving Irish heads around the world smiling.  

“There's a lot to do in this friendly, enchanting city that continues to influence the world. I highly recommend a visit.”