The river Liffey flows through Dublin, the capital city of the Republic of Ireland. It rises in the Sally Gap, near to Kippure, a mountain in County Wicklow, and runs for around 75 miles (125km) to enter the Irish sea in Dublin Bay.
Dividing the Northside of Dublin from the Southside, the Liffey is spanned by numerous road bridges including (listed from West to East) :
The pedestrian-only Ha'penny Bridge was formerly a toll-bridge, while the Eastlink bridge is a modern tolled traffic-carrying lifting bridge.
Upstream from the city, at Chapelizod, the river is used by both university and police (garda) rowing clubs.
Downstream of the final bridge, (the Eastlink, the river is mainly used for commercial and ferry traffic, with some recreational use also.
A well-known sight on the liffey was the Lady Patricia and the Miranda Guinness, used to export from the St. James' Gate Guinness brewery.
The song about Seamus Rafferty refers to the "bowsies on the quay." Nowadays the quays are being developed with the additional of linear parks and overhanging boardwalks.
The quays of the Liffey include: