The River Liffey (
Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
to its mouth within
Dublin Bay
Dublin Bay () is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea on the east coast of Ireland. The bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north–south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth He ...
. Its major
tributaries
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
include the
River Dodder, the
River Poddle and the
River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water and supports a range of recreational activities.
Name
While
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
's ''
Geography
Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...
'' (2nd century AD) describes a river which he labels Οβοκα (''Oboka''), this is not the Liffey: ultimately it leads to the name of the
River Avoca in
County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
.
According to "Place Names from our Older Literature - IV." by Boswell, C. S. (1904 Connradh na Gaedhilge) the river takes its name from Magh Life, i.e. the plain of Kildare through which the Life flows. This in turn takes its name from Life, daughter of Canann Curthach, who eloped with and married Deltbanna mac Druchta, cup-bearer to
Conaire Mór High King of Ireland. Life took a liking to this plain, and demanded that it should bear her name, and Deltbanna refused to serve any more drink to the men of Éire till the request was granted.
The Liffey was previously named ''An Ruirthech'', meaning "fast (or strong) runner". The word ''Liphe'' (or ''Life'') referred originally to the name of the plain through which the river ran, but eventually came to refer to the river itself. The word may derive from the same root as
Welsh ''llif'' (flood, flow, stream), namely
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...
''lē̆i-4'', referring to the historic propensity of areas such as
Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park () is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since ...
in Dublin and Waterstown Park in
Palmerstown
Palmerstown (; officially Palmerston, see #Name origin and spelling, spelling) is a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and suburb in western Dublin, Ireland on the banks of the River Liffey. It forms part of the South Dublin local authorit ...
to be inundated, but
Gearóid Mac Eoin has more recently proposed that it may derive from a non-Indo-European word
borrowed from the original language spoken in Ireland before the arrival of the Celts. It was also known as the ''Anna Liffey'', possibly from an
anglicisation
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
of ''Abhainn na Life,'' the Irish phrase that translates into English as "River Liffey".
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
embodies the river in ''
Finnegans Wake
''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish literature, Irish writer James Joyce. It was published in instalments starting in 1924, under the title "fragments from ''Work in Progress''". The final title was only revealed when the book was publishe ...
'' as "Anna Livia Plurabelle".
Course and system

The Liffey rises in the
Liffey Head Bog between the mountains of
Kippure
Kippure (; ) at , is the 56th-highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin scale, and the 72nd-highest peak on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams, Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September ...
and
Tonduff in the northern section of the
Wicklow Mountains, forming from many streamlets near the Sally Gap. It flows for through counties
Wicklow
Wicklow ( ; , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; ) is the county town of County Wicklow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had ...
,
Kildare and
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
before entering the
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...
at its mouth at the midpoint of
Dublin Bay
Dublin Bay () is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea on the east coast of Ireland. The bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north–south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth He ...
, on a line extending from the
Baily lighthouse to the Muglin Rocks. It crosses from County Wicklow into County Kildare at
Poulaphouca and from County Kildare into County Dublin at
Leixlip, with the greatest part of its length being in Kildare.
The
catchment area of the Liffey is .
The long term average flow rate of the river is .
Tributaries
The Liffey system includes dozens of smaller rivers and more than 100 named streams. Early tributaries include the Athdown Brook, Shankill River, Ballylow Brook, Brittas River and Woodend Brook. The substantial King's River, which formerly joined the Liffey near Blessington, and may in fact have held the larger flow, now merges in within Poulaphouca Reservoir.
Downstream of Poulaphouca are the Lemonstown Stream, Kilcullen Stream and Pinkeen Stream, followed by the
Painestown River (with tributaries including the
Morell River), the Rye Water (with tributaries including the Lyreen) at
Leixlip, and the Griffeen River and Silleachain Stream in
Lucan.
Within Dublin are the various
Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park () is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since ...
streams on the left bank, interspersed with right bank tributaries such as the Glenaulin Stream and
Creosote Stream.
Within the quays area tributaries include the
River Camac, possibly Colman's Brook, the
Bradogue River,
River Poddle,
Stein River and the
River Dodder, some of which have numerous tributaries of their own.
In earlier times, the
River Tolka was also arguably a tributary of the Liffey or at least shared its mouth, but it now enters
Dublin Bay
Dublin Bay () is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea on the east coast of Ireland. The bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north–south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth He ...
distinctly, some distance to the north.
Dams, reservoirs and falls
There are
dams for three
ESB hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
power stations along the river, at
Poulaphouca,
Golden Falls and
Leixlip. Major reservoir facilities also exist at Poulaphouca. The Liffey does not feature natural lakes and has few islands.
Significant falls at Poulaphouca and at Golden Falls were flooded by
reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
construction. There remain areas of
rapids
Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep stream gradient, gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Flow, gradient, constriction, and obstacles are four factors that are needed for a rapid t ...
, including as the river approaches Dublin city.
Settlements
Towns along the river include
Blessington,
Ballymore Eustace,
Kilcullen,
Athgarvan
Athgarvan () is a village southwest of Newbridge, County Kildare, Newbridge in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The population of the village was 1,176 in the census of 2016.
Location
Athgarvan lies on the R416 road (Ireland), R4 ...
,
Newbridge,
Caragh,
Clane,
Celbridge
Celbridge (; ) is a town and townland on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is west of Dublin. Both a local centre and a commuter town within the Greater Dublin Area, it is located at the intersection of the ...
,
Leixlip and
Lucan before the river passes the suburb of
Chapelizod
Chapelizod () is a suburban village of Dublin, Ireland. It lies in the wooded valley of the River Liffey, near the Strawberry Beds and the Phoenix Park. The village is associated with Iseult of Ireland and the location of Iseult's chapel. Chap ...
and then runs through the city of
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
all the way to its mouth.
Navigation and uses
The River Liffey in Dublin city has been used for many centuries for trade, from the
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
beginnings of the city up to recent times. It is connected to the
River Shannon via the
Grand Canal and the
Royal Canal. There is no major navigation on the river itself above the
East-Link bridge in modern times, but shipping used to enter Dublin city centre, with major docking points up to the St James' Gate area.
Since its construction in 1978, the
Talbot Memorial Bridge marks the furthest point up to the Liffey to which tall ships may travel, as all bridges downriver of it are either
swingbridges or
bascule.
Water supply
Around 60% of the Liffey's flow is abstracted for drinking water and to supply industry. Much of this makes its way back into the river after purification in wastewater treatment plants. Despite a misconception that the Guinness brewery is one such commercial user, the facility uses water piped from the
Wicklow Mountains.
Electricity generation
ESB hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
power stations exist along the river, at
Poulaphouca,
Golden Falls and
Leixlip, in addition to a number of minor private installations.
Traffic
A well-known sight on the Liffey up to the 1990s, the ''Lady Patricia''
and ''Miranda Guinness''
cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...
s were used to export
Guinness from the
St. James's Gate Brewery.
As of the early 21st century, the only regular traffic on the river within the city is the ''Liffey Voyage'' water tour bus service, which runs guided tours along the River Liffey through Dublin City centre. Departing from the boardwalk downstream of the
Ha'penny Bridge, the ''Spirit of the Docklands'' was built by ''Westers Mekaniska'' in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
as a 50-passenger
water taxi. Its variable
ballast tanks (not unlike a
submarine
A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
) and low
air draught mean that at
low tide it can float high, but at
high tide it can ride low and still pass below the Liffey's bridges.
Downstream of the East-Link bridge, the river is still mainly used for commercial and ferry traffic, with some recreational use also. High speed trips out the mouth of the Liffey were also previously available from Sea Safari.
Recreational use
Upstream from the city, at
Chapelizod
Chapelizod () is a suburban village of Dublin, Ireland. It lies in the wooded valley of the River Liffey, near the Strawberry Beds and the Phoenix Park. The village is associated with Iseult of Ireland and the location of Iseult's chapel. Chap ...
, the river is used by private, university and
Garda rowing clubs.
The
Liffey Descent Canoe Race, held each year since 1960, covers a course from
Straffan to Islandbridge. The Normal Tidal Limit (NTL) of the river is Islandbridge (weir).
The Liffey Swim takes place every year in late August or early September between Watling Bridge and
The Custom House. The Islandbridge stretch of river accommodates a number of rowing clubs including Trinity College, UCD,
Commercial, Neptune, and the Garda rowing club.
The Liffey is widely used for recreational activities – such as canoeing, rafting, fishing, swimming, significant facilities are at
Poulaphouca,
Kilcullen,
Newbridge, where a seven-acre Liffey Linear Park has been developed, and other facilities are located further downriver at
Leixlip and other towns.
Crossings
History
The earliest stone bridge over the Liffey in Dublin of which there is solid evidence was the Bridge of Dublin, which replaced a wooden bridge, Dubhghall's Bridge, dating to the 11th century, and was in turn replaced – the site is now occupied by
Fr. Mathew Bridge). The Bridge of Dublin was built by the Dominicans in
1428, and survived well into the 18th century.
This four-arch bridge included various buildings such as a chapel, bakehouse and possibly an inn.
Island Bridge (a predecessor of the current bridge) was added in 1577 at the upper tidal extremities of the river between Islandbridge and western Chapelizod.
With the development of commercial Dublin in the 17th century, four new bridges were added in Dublin between 1670 and 1684: Barrack, or Bloody Bridge, (the forerunner of the current
Rory O'More Bridge), Essex Bridge (
Grattan Bridge), Ormond Bridge (
O'Donovan Rossa Bridge
O'Donovan Rossa Bridge () is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland, which joins Winetavern Street to Chancery Place (at the Four Courts) and the north quays.
History
1684 bridge
Replacing a short-lived wooden structure, th ...
) and Arran Bridge. Flooding in December 1801 following 36 hours of rain destroyed the oldest bridge which connected
Church Street and
Bridge Street. It was replaced with Whitworth Bridge in 1816.
The oldest bridge still standing is
Mellows Bridge, (originally Queens Bridge) constructed in 1764 on the site of Arran Bridge, which was destroyed by floods in 1763. The first iron bridge was the
Ha'penny Bridge built in 1816.
Farmleigh Bridge, also iron, was built around 1872 at the end of a tunnel and connected
Farmleigh estate to
Palmerstown
Palmerstown (; officially Palmerston, see #Name origin and spelling, spelling) is a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and suburb in western Dublin, Ireland on the banks of the River Liffey. It forms part of the South Dublin local authorit ...
.
The
Millennium Bridge was opened in December 1999, and 21st century additions include
Seán O'Casey Bridge (2005),
Samuel Beckett Bridge (2009),
and
Rosie Hackett Bridge (2014).
There are records regarding several bridges in County Kildare. A bridge was built in Kilcullen in 1319. There are also a number of historic private and disused bridges over the Liffey. One such stone bridge, at
Harristown Estate in County Kildare, was built for John LaTouche in 1788. This remains in private use and is near the disused Harristown viaduct (over the Liffey) which was on the Sallins Tullow rail line and was last used in 1959.
Present day
Dividing the
Northside of Dublin from the
Southside, the Liffey is today spanned by numerous bridges, mostly open to vehicular traffic. These include the
West-Link Bridge on the
M50 motorway,
Seán Heuston Bridge and
O'Connell Bridge. There are 3 pedestrian bridges in the city: the
Millennium Bridge,
Seán O'Casey Bridge and the
Ha'penny Bridge. 21st century additions include the
Samuel Beckett Bridge (2009) and
James Joyce Bridge (2003), both designed by
Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spaniards, Spanish-Swiss people, Swiss architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stad ...
.
Crossings further upriver include the Liffey Bridge at
Celbridge
Celbridge (; ) is a town and townland on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is west of Dublin. Both a local centre and a commuter town within the Greater Dublin Area, it is located at the intersection of the ...
, "The Bridge at 16" (a 19th-century pedestrian suspension bridge at what is now the
K Club), and the Leinster Aqueduct – which carries the Grand Canal over the Liffey at
Caragh.
Art works along the river and its quays include the Famine Memorial Statues (near the
IFSC) and the World Hunger Stone.
Quays
The song about ''Seamus Rafferty'' refers to the "bowsies on the quay"; However, from the late 20th-century there was some renewed development on the quays, with the addition of linear parks and overhanging
boardwalks.
There are quays on the north and south banks of the Liffey, extending from the weir at Islandbridge to Ringsend bridge over the river Dodder, just before the East-Link toll bridge.
From west to east, the quays on the north bank are:
:Bridgewater, Wolfe Tone, Sarsfield, Ellis, Arran, Inns, Ormond Upper, Ormond Lower, Bachelors Walk,
Eden, Custom House, and North Wall.
From west to east, the quays on the south bank are:
:Victoria, Usher's Island, Usher's, Merchants, Wood, Essex, Wellington, Crampton, Aston, Burgh, George's, City, Sir John Rogerson's, and Great Britain.
Annalistic references
In the
Annals of Inisfallen for the year 808, an entry reads:
:''AI808.2 A defeat
nflictedby the
Laigin on
Áed, son of Niall, at the river of Liphe.''
Popular culture references
From
Joyce to
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
, the Liffey is often referenced in literature and song:
That is the first of a number of references to the Liffey in the
Wake: insofar as the book has characters, the female protagonist of the novel,
Anna Livia Plurabelle, is herself an allegory of the river.
See also
*
HMS Liffey
*
List of rivers of Ireland
*
Rivers of Ireland
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liffey
River Liffey (system)
Rivers of County Wicklow
Rivers of County Kildare
Rivers of South Dublin (county)
Rivers of Dublin (city)