Rod caught Lobster, legal to take or not?

I hooked into a BIG lobster at Ballycotton pier last night. Lost it on the way up the wall :( , which is probably par for the course, but it posed me a question :?:

Should I have managed to land it, would it have been legal to take it home or are all lobsters covered by a fishing licence?

Answers if you know please?

Phil.

Mate of mine caught a 6lb one, Damn sure it didnt go back....

If it was female it should have been marked with a 'v' in the tail and put back. A male of legal length can be kept.....i think.

i,ve had a couple latley put them all back ,dont really think their worth the hassle of cooking and peeling .