Over three hundred men, women and children take part in the 76th annual Liffey Swim.
The ESB Liffey Swim passed under eight bridges and ended at the Custom House in Dublin.
64 year old Jackie Carney has taken part in the event forty six times. He does it for the exercise and "a bit of skit".
The swim is a family affair for the Morton's with their son John Morton, aged 12, the youngest competitor.
The risk of hepatitis and leptospirosis and a public health warning still didn’t keep them away.
The Liffey Swim is a handicapped swim where the slowest go first along the mile and a quarter race under eight bridges. The fastest swimmers inevitably catch up.
The winners of the women’s race was Caroline Flemming. Frank Chatham won the men’s race and says he just "went hell for leather".
For most, the Liffey is just a perverse challenge to be completed.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 31 August 1996. The reporter is Paul Reynolds.
