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.

[4] The word may derive from the same root as Welsh llif (flood, flow, stream), namely Proto-Indo-European lē̆i-4,[5] referring to the historic propensity of areas such as Phoenix Park and Waterstown Park to be inundated,[citation needed] 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.

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.

[15] 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 distinctly, some distance to the north.

[16] There are dams for three ESB hydroelectric power stations along the river, at Poulaphouca, Golden Falls and Leixlip.

[18] ESB hydroelectric power stations exist along the river, at Poulaphouca, Golden Falls and Leixlip, in addition to a number of minor private installations.

Departing from the boardwalk downstream of the Ha'penny Bridge, the Spirit of the Docklands was built by Westers Mekaniska in Sweden as a 50-passenger water taxi.

The Liffey Descent Canoe Race, held each year since 1960, covers a 27 km (17 mi) course from Straffan to Islandbridge.

The Liffey Swim takes place every year in late August or early September between Watling Bridge and The Custom House.

[30] 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.

[citation needed] Dividing the Northside of Dublin from the Southside, the Liffey is today spanned by numerous bridges, mostly open to vehicular traffic.

[1] Art works along the river and its quays include the Famine Memorial Statues (near the IFSC) and the World Hunger Stone.

From west to east, the quays on the north bank are: From west to east, the quays on the south bank are: In the Annals of Inisfallen for the year 808, an entry reads: From Joyce to Radiohead, the Liffey is often referenced in literature and song: "riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs."

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.

A skiff, a crumpled throwaway, Elijah is coming, rode lightly down the Liffey, under Loopline Bridge, shooting the rapids where water chafed around the bridgepiers, sailing eastward past hulls and anchorchains, between the Custom House old dock and George's quay.

"You can keep your Michael Flatley with his tattoos on his chest Fare thee well, Sweet Anna Liffey, it's the Ganges I love best I found a place in India so far across the foam You can call me Punjab Paddy, boys, I'm never comin' home!"

Fare thee well sweet Anna Liffey, I can no longer stay I watch the new glass cages, that spring up along the quay My mind's too full of memories, too old to hear new chimes I'm part of what was Dublin in the rare ould times