Annual River Liffey Swim, 2007

Taking a bath with Anna Livia Plurabelle

I'm not sure that James Joyce would agree, but poetically, it sounds like sheer delight. Swimming down the river that flows through the heart of Dublin, Ireland. Then again, it be for me like taking a dip in the Delaware River. Maybe in 1807.... but not now in 2007. A few little things like pollution, industrial run-off and sewage would make me cringe, at the very least.

If you've ever crossed over Ha'penny Bridge, could you have imagined a few hundred people swimming below you in the murky muck? I never did. In fact, I've been to Dublin quite a few times and never knew they had such a crazy event.


This is an event that Dubliners take seriously, it seems. They have professional swim teams taking to the banks of the Liffey. In fact, the Guinness sponsored team placed 1st and 2nd place in the men's event last year.

I might muster up the pints for an oceanic polar dip in the middle of January. A few laps down the Liffey is another thing. God bless them and their crazy Irish souls. I just hope they all take long hot showers afterwards. Not together, of course.


http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/old-and-young-turn-out-for-liffey-swim-1080996.html