North Eastern Atlantic

South of Ireland the Celtic Sea opens into the Atlantic, between the Irish coast and the approaches to Brittany and southwestern Britain. Its waters contain broad banks and deeper channels across the continental shelf. Ships travelling between the Channel and the Atlantic could pass through this open sea, while vessels from Irish ports crossed it on voyages to France and Iberia. Far from the shelter of Cork Harbour or the bays of Kerry, crews faced the winds and swells of the ocean on their way along the southern coast.