A search is under way for a five-foot snake which has been missing since Saturday in Edenderry, Co Offaly.
In case you are wondering about some kind of St Patrick connection, there is one.
As it happens the owner of the pet snake is Adrian Brereton, who last week became the town’s first St Patrick’s Day parade grand marshal.
He was chosen for that role partly because he has become well known for featuring on RTÉ’s weight-loss show Operation Transformation.
Mr Brereton, whose day job is operating Pets Paradise in Edenderry, Co Offaly, lost the orange-coloured corn snake named Borris somewhere in Edenderry.
Mr Brereton had displayed the pet snake at a confirmation party in Rathangan before returning to Edenderry to watch a GAA game on Saturday.
Only when he returned to his pet store did he make the discovery that the reptile’s “box had fallen over and his compartment was open”.