Swimming down the Liffey
Hey, I was thinking of spending a day with a few friends just swimming down the liffey from Celbridge to about Palmerstown. Just wondering if anyone would have any safety advice/concerns about this?
Your general health from the dirt of the water, its not a clean place to be spending hours swimming.
And there is always the added joy of "specators" throwing cans/bottles/rock in your general direction to encourage you to swim faster.....
Rather you than me
"níl a fhios agam........"
Hi Sean,
Previous comments are all excellent reasons why you shouldn't do this. Others reasons are under water obstacles, rocks, trolleys, etc. They all represent injury risks as the current pushes you over them. Trees are extremely dangerous, their root systems extend into the river as much as the canopy hangs over the water - they are a serious threat for drowning if you get swept under them. The current on many parts of the Liffey runs under tree canopies. Also, the water, never very warm, is unusually cold for the time of year because of all the recent heavy rain.
Oh yeah, I forgot exhaustion...duh! The cold water saps your strength, and it gets progressively harder to swim in cold. So even if you got from Celbridge to Salmon Leap, you still have a 1.5km lake to swim across before you portage the dam at Leixlip. Even in a canoe/kayak this is a major slog. Overall, this journey (8-9 miles approx) in a GP kayak is about 2.5 - 3 hrs give or take...
I admire your pluck, but seriously...think again
All the best
Dave 
i've gone swiming in the liffey a good few times, the river would also have recently been flushed by the the recent high water so in my opinion no better time...
i live only 10min away and have been in and out of the liffey on a regular basis, mostly kayaking, for maybe 10 years now and never been sick from it.
Simply resigning to the fact the unpleasant people exist and they may be down at the river is rubbish.. If more people got out and used the liffey for recreation maybe we could improve it and its image.
Having said this celbridge to palmerstown is a long way and you sould get someone who knows the area and conditions with regard to flows and debris, also bring the opproapiate gear BA etc you can also check the river flows on http://www.liffeyreleases.com/
hope ya get the weather, swim safe
"swimming down the liffey"..."any safety advice/concerns"
Don't.
Constant waterbourne companions. (just examples, loads more out there!)
Cryptosporidiosis
Giardia
Dysentry