Standing somewhere in the Arctic, accompanied by an Irish Naval escort, he releases a rare hooded seal called Flubber. This is not the usual gloomy Tuesday schoolday scenario for your average biology teacher, but it was last week's work for Terry Flanagan. During the 16 years Flanagan has been involved with the Irish Seal Sanctuary, he and founders Brendan and Mary Price have had many unique experiences.
Flanagan was involved with the sanctuary from the early days, helping out his former UCD college buddy, Price. The seal sanctuary is a registered charity and relies on the generosity of the public and companies like Opel, who supplied a seal ambulance or Stenaline, which helps transport seals who can't be accommodated in Garristown, north Co Dublin.
Flubber was a rare visitor to the Irish coastline when he washed up on Morriscastle beach, Co Wexford, in September. During his recuperative sojourn in a pool at the seal sanctuary he enjoyed having as much ice as could be produced tipped over him to simulate the icy waters of his natural habitat. Special as he is, Flubber is only one among over 200 grey and common seals who have received care and been released at beaches around Ireland.
Terry Flanagan teaches biology and computers at Moyle Park College, Clondalkin. Outside of school he is a tireless worker on behalf of the Irish Seal Sanctuary. His small office, off the school lab, is stuffed to overflowing. There are presents from pupils (one, a scorpion in a glass case), artwork from schoolchildren's competition entries to help raise funds for the seal sanctuary, videos of seal release documentaries and progammes made by the Discovery Channel, National Geographic and RT╔ and schoolboy drawings depicting seals on the blackboard. Everywhere there is evidence of a keen interest in nature and wildlife that has obviously inspired his pupils.
"I grew up 100 yards from the Phoenix Park and my father encouraged a real love of nature in me by his own fascination with the trees, flowers and animals there," Flanagan recounts. "I was always bringing home injured birds and hedgehogs."
Flanagan tells how a local vet, Paddy McDermott, used to try to help the injured animals free of charge. "It was a great buzz seeing an animal recover and releasing it," he says. "One of the more unusual animals I've had was a rat called Moriarty. My wife, whom I had been dating at the time, insisted we couldn't get married while Moriarty was still on the scene, but he died before our big day, so I suppose that was okay."
The tradition of father passing a love of animals to son continues. In the Flanagan household the boys have organised non-uniform days at school to raise funds for the seal sanctuary and one co-presented a programme on Nickolodeon children's television called The Big Help, a show which encourages children to realise they can make a huge difference by helping out with local volunteer schemes.
"The important thing to me is passing on the interest. The role of the seal sanctuary is to educate people about conservation, about the threat posed to our marine life by over fishing and pollution, and rehabilitating wild creatures. We are not a seal-hugging organisation," Flanagan says.
Flanagan pauses at one stage to ask if he's talking too fast. The man has zeal for his cause and is a mine of information about our coastline - how long it is, how the grey seal was the first protected species, how many there are estimated around the coastline, what damage factory ship fishing does to our waters, how many have attended releases on the beach or how the Republic is the only EU coastal country not to have a national seal sanctuary.
Flanagan occupies the role of the public face of the seal sanctuary. "Brendan is a marine mammal expert but I'm more involved in the publicity side," he says. He has a radio show at 9.30 p.m. on a Friday night on Anna Livia (103.2FM) called On the Edge, where he looks at wildlife and conservation issues. The sanctuary has won several awards, including one from Conservation Volunteers Ireland, which was presented by the well known conservationist David Bellamy.
Seals have their detractors. Some people argue that culling is necessary to protect fish stocks. Flanagan's experience is that fishermen are seal-friendly and often they contact the sanctuary if they discover an injured or stranded seal.
"There are huge numbers of seals culled in Canada and in the Scandinavian countries," he says. "I can understand Inuit people killing seals as part of a subsistence lifestyle, but I can't see the justification for large-scale culls."
The biggest project to date for the seal sanctuary is the promise from the Government that they would receive a funding grant of £1.8 million in the next budget. "Ireland should have a dedicated national seal sanctuary where people can learn about marine animals and conservation. Everyone is worried by something like Sellafield, for example, so we need to lobby for an education resource like this," says Flanagan. Next year is the International Year of Ecotourism. Flanagan feels it is imperative that a national seal sanctuary is under way for a special year focusing on sites that encourage us all to consider the world we live in and how we can preserve and protect it.
Watching a video of a seal release you can understand why these funny little creatures, who look so awkward on land but so graceful in the water, have captured the imagination in folklore and mythology - and why the large chest of a big-hearted Dublin fella gets quite puffed up when looking at them.
For further information on the Irish Seal Sanctuary and seal releases, you can check the website at www.wildireland.ie/irishsealsanctuary.
