The Rye flows through Maynooth and joins up with the Liffey at Leixlip below the dam.
The wave/hole:
Since the video was taken flood prevention construction has taken place.
Usually this spot will work nicely if Sluice is washed out further downstream. If you go to Sluice for a session and find it too high, this is always worth the 5 minute trip up the road for a check.
If you find its a bit too low/shallow, drive back into Leixlip the way you came and try just under the main Leixlip bridge. A small wave forms (better than nothing) at a level somewhere inbetween Sluice being washed out and this spot being that bit too low. The get in for this spot is on river right as you go over the bridge leaving Leixlip heading towards the M4.
Sometimes it can be difficult to get out right beside the spot and you have to go with the flow downstream about 200m before you get an eddy in which you can get out from.
River left beside the spot is somebody's back garden as we found out.
This guide has a gauge but no paddling levels yet.
If you have run it, you can help. Tell us the level it needs to be worth doing (Low), and the best and highest levels if you know them. Once an admin approves them, this guide gets level colours, a place in "Running now" and a count of paddle days per month.
Suggest levels for this guideLoading levels...
Written by paddlers. If you know this river, sign in and edit these notes. Changes are reviewed before they appear.
If the Liffey is in flood this spot usually works well.
How high the river usually gets each day, from 8 years of readings (2018 to 2026)
| Month | Typical daily high | 8 days in 10 between |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0.573 m | 0.417 and 0.853 m |
| February | 0.599 m | 0.392 and 0.939 m |
| March | 0.526 m | 0.36 and 0.754 m |
| April | 0.382 m | 0.278 and 0.599 m |
| May | 0.309 m | 0.245 and 0.448 m |
| June | 0.287 m | 0.213 and 0.409 m |
| July | 0.249 m | 0.189 and 0.441 m |
| August | 0.252 m | 0.172 and 0.459 m |
| September | 0.274 m | 0.174 and 0.496 m |
| October | 0.46 m | 0.258 and 0.73 m |
| November | 0.575 m | 0.249 and 0.856 m |
| December | 0.543 m | 0.377 and 0.861 m |
How to read this graph. The line is the typical daily high; the shaded band covers 8 days in 10. This guide has no paddling levels yet.
Past levels are no guarantee of future conditions. Readings can be late or wrong: check the river on the day. Level colours, "Running now" and paddle days are a guide only, not a sign that the river is safe to paddle. Read about gauge data and levels.
Contains Irish Public Sector Information licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence (source waterlevel.ie, provided by the Office of Public Works).
The River is located in Leixlip, Co.Kildare. From the M4 take exit #2 signposted Leixlip.
Take the R148 (Leixlip road) towards Leixlip village. It runs right and over the river Liffey, it then turns to the left and you're entering Leixlip village. Take the next right at a set of traffic lights up Captains Hill. Pass the Rye view B&B on your left after a couple of hundred meters. (I didn't know it existed but it was on google maps), St.Mary's park housing estate is on your right. After another few hundred meters there is a caution school children sign on the left and further down the road on the left you'll see a red brick bell tower of a church. Take the left hand turn just after the caution children sign which is before the entrance to the carpark for the church.
Follow this road straight for about 150m, it then winds around and down to the left and then right. This leads you into the parking area for the get in/take out.
Park 'er up. Get in above the pedestrian bridge on river right, float down under the bridge and into the playspot.
Get out river-right anywhere you can along the public park footpath. It can be a bit tricky in high water so a quick scout is advisable before dropping on. Don't get out river-left which is private land or risk trouble with the locals (see video).
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