The Course

The race course consists of 10 Weirs and 1 portage. It starts within the grounds of the world famous K Club in Straffan, Co. Kildare and finishes 30+ kilometre later at the Garda Boat Club, Islandbridge, Dublin.

In 2019 we celebrated the 60th Liffey Descent.

At the very first Dublin Boat Show in 1960, a short canoe race took place on the river Liffey as part of the programme. From this small beginning emerged the annual Liffey Descent canoe marathon which attracts paddlers from all corners of the globe and it now a major event of the international marathon racing calendar.

An event such as the Liffey Descent, which has spanned six decades, does not happen by accident.

Over the past 61 years, committees, race coordinators and volunteers have come and gone. All have done their bit to mould and shape this race from modest beginnings into the world-class canoe marathon it is today. Because of their hard work, determination, and ambition, the race stands tall as one of the great events on the Irish sporting calendar.