In the aftermath of Storm Desmond who swept across Ireland in the first week of December 2015 and despite warnings from infamous TV reporter Teresa Mannion these Irish men and women kept alive the brave daily tradition of swimming in the country's coastal waters year round.

Despite strong winds and heavy sea swells, the morning was bright and cheery. No sign of a clear sunrise for the photographer but plenty of soft sunlight that helped me to instruct my student during the early morning photography workshop close to Dublin on the Irish Sea.

Our morning's start was late as sunrise in Dublin in December is approx. 08:20, compared to an unsociable 04:55 in June.

Wreck of The Irish Trader

I have often led photography workshops to the beach at Baltray for one reason - the shipwreck of the Irish Trader seen here surrounded by the Irish Sea on a very windy day.

The ship was run aground here in 1974 during storms in the Irish Sea and it has remained on the flat sandy beach ever since.