Editing River Liffey (section)

== Course and system ==
[[File:Newbridge College.jpg|thumbnail|The River Liffey flowing through [[Newbridge College]] in County Kildare]]
The Liffey rises in the [[Liffey Head Bog]] between the mountains of [[Kippure]] {{convert|742|m|ft}} and [[Tonduff]] {{convert|642|m|ft}} in the northern section of the [[Wicklow Mountains]], forming from many streamlets near the Sally Gap. It flows for {{convert|132|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite book|publisher = [[Ordnance Survey of Ireland]] | title = Rivers and their Catchment Basins | date = 1958 | chapter = Table of Reference}}</ref> through counties [[County Wicklow|Wicklow]], [[County Kildare|Kildare]] and [[County Dublin|Dublin]] before entering the [[Irish Sea]] at its mouth at the midpoint of [[Dublin Bay]], on a line extending from the [[Baily lighthouse]] to the Muglin Rocks.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} 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 [[Drainage basin|catchment area]] of the Liffey is {{convert|1256|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="serbd.com">{{cite report | url = http://www.serbd.com/MultiDownloads/Creport/Chapters/Physical%20Description%20Ch3.pdf | publisher = South Eastern River Basin District Management System | title = SERBD Report – Physical Description (Chapter) | page = 38 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222354/http://www.serbd.com/MultiDownloads/Creport/Chapters/Physical%20Description%20Ch3.pdf | archive-date = 3 March 2016 }}</ref> The long term average flow rate of the river is {{convert|18.0|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on|lk=in}}.<ref name="serbd.com"/>

===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.<ref>{{cite book| title = The Rivers and Streams of the Dublin Region | date = 2018 | isbn = 9780956636386 | pages = 33–35}}</ref>

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]].<ref>{{cite book| title = The Rivers and Streams of the Dublin Region | date = 2018 | isbn = 9780956636386 | pages = 35–42}}</ref>

Within Dublin are the various [[Phoenix Park]] streams on the left bank, interspersed with right bank tributaries such as the Glenaulin Stream and [[Irish National War Memorial Gardens#Creosote stream|Creosote Stream]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.fishinginireland.info/trout/east/dublin/liffey.htm| title = River Liffey| access-date = 25 January 2013| publisher = fishinginireland.info| archive-date = 19 July 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190719060058/http://fishinginireland.info/trout/east/dublin/liffey.htm| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title = The Rivers and Streams of the Dublin Region | date = 2018 | isbn = 9780956636386 | pages = 44–46}}</ref>

Within the quays area tributaries include the [[River Camac]], possibly Colman's Brook, the [[Bradogue River]], [[River Poddle]], [[Stein River (Dublin)|Stein River]] and the [[River Dodder]], some of which have numerous tributaries of their own.<ref>{{cite book| title = The Rivers and Streams of the Dublin Region | date = 2018 | isbn = 9780956636386 | pages = 48–57}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite book| title = The Rivers and Streams of the Dublin Region | date = 2018 | isbn = 9780956636386 | pages = 25, 31}}</ref>

===Dams, reservoirs and falls===
There are [[dam]]s for three [[Electricity Supply Board|ESB]] [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] power stations along the river, at [[Poulaphouca]], [[Golden Falls hydroelectric power station|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]] construction. There remain areas of [[rapids]], including as the river approaches Dublin city.

===Settlements===
[[File:Dublin 1714 (Moll).jpg|thumb|right|The Liffey separating Dublin from [[Oxmantown]] on a 1714 map by [[Herman Moll]]]]
Towns along the river include [[Blessington]], [[Ballymore Eustace]], [[Kilcullen]], [[Athgarvan]], [[Newbridge, County Kildare|Newbridge]], [[Caragh]], [[Clane]], [[Celbridge]], [[Leixlip]] and [[Lucan, County Dublin|Lucan]] before the river passes the suburb of [[Chapelizod]] and then runs through the city of [[Dublin]] all the way to its mouth.

[[Image:Liffeyeast.jpg|thumb|The [[Ha'penny Bridge]].]]