Female group by banks of Liffey showing craft (4)
I believe the answer is:
wily
'showing craft' is the definition.
(wily means using wile or craft)
'female group by banks of liffey' is the wordplay.
'female group' becomes 'WI' (Women's Institute).
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'banks of' suggests removing the centre (the banks are the sides of the word).
'liffey' with its centre taken out is 'ly'.
'wi'+'ly'='WILY'
(Other definitions for wily that I've seen before include "Shrewd" , "Fly" , "Deceptively clever" , "Skilled at gaining an advantage by deceit" , "'Crafty, cunning (4)'" .)