Caption: Larry the Lobster when he was 5

A special tribute to Paul Moran was issued by the Bray-based nonprofit, Save Our Lobsters (SOL), which campaigns for the fair, equitable and humane treatment of lobsters throughout Ireland.

According to SOL, Moran’s courage and bravery when it comes to liberating and rescuing lobsters makes him a role model for society and the organisation expressed its delight in being asked to take part in his 50^th birthday celebrations.

Speaking from the SOL headquarters in the National Aquarium in Bray, Co Wicklow, its CEO Tony O’Thermidor recalls the time when Moran selflessly  liberated a lobster from a tank in the now-defunct Maguire’s restaurant and bar in Baggot Street, a popular haunt for the media and advertising industry in the mid to late noughties.

“Unbeknownst to the owner of the establishment, a fearsome ex-Irish army officer, Paul and his equally brave colleague Gerry Davey took it upon themselves to reunite Larry (the name of the lobster) with his family in the sea in Dun Laoghaire,” says O’Thermidor. “In a scene reminiscent of Raid on Entebbe or Argo, Larry was silently snatched from the tank, under the cover of daylight, and spirited away by Paul and Gerry, as part of a top secret mission that was carefully planned by his Uncle Arthur, a well-known spymaster and general fixer in Dublin at the time.

“You can imagine Larry’s delight when the mission kicked into action,” says O’Thermidor. “When the brave duo put Larry back into his natural habitat, it was slightly unfortunate that they forgot to take the clasps off Larry’s claws before they put him back in the water. Nonetheless we applaud their bravery, determination, courage and kindness. The world needs more lobsters and people like Paul Moran.”

“Larry may have died in vain that day, or he may have been pecked to death by a bunch of seagulls, but at least he wasn’t boiled to death and eaten by a human. Larry is now a saint and a martyr amongst lobsters and this tale of derring-do has now passed into crustacean folklore the world over. We have Paul to thank for elevating Larry to these lofty heights and we are delighted to wish Paul a happy 50^th birthday, which is about the same age that most lobsters live to. In the case of Larry, however, he was a mere teenager,” concludes O’Thermidor.