It’s not bungee jumping or diving with sharks (which I have done, and it was both scary and amazing). No this was a unique experience I had in Ireland—Falconry.
On our trip to Ireland in May 2019, we stayed in Galway and drove up to Ireland’s School of Falconry at Ashford Castle. It is the oldest Falconry School in Ireland. All the hawks are trained by the Falconers who reside there. The birds are never sold and become part of the family to those who work with them. The hawks are flown free every day.
We traveled to Ireland with our friends, Jerry and Clara. We spent almost a month touring around the country. Before the trip, each of us picked something we’d like to do in Ireland, and this is what I choose, Falconry.
I made reservations in advance, online for the Extended One Hour Hawk Walk.
https://falconry.ie/hawk-walk/
It’s a private experience that lasts 90 minutes and allows you more flying time with the hawks and a bonus with the barn owl, Dingle.
After a short introduction from our Falconry instructor, we were flying our Harris Hawks around the beautiful grounds on the Ashford Castle Estates. It was a fantastic experience to launch these raptors and then have one swoop down from a tree and land on your gloved fist. You get to see the magnificent birds up close and will be awed by their beauty.
Our Falconer instructor was great. He was quite informative and used his Irish humor on Clara during our introduction to the hawks.
I would highly recommend this experience. One of my favorite things I’ve done during my travels.
Fun Facts:
Falconry has been around for thousands of years. The exact origins of falconry are unknown. Many experts believe it originated in Central Asia and the Iranian Plateau. It was not conceived as a sport. The birds of prey were used to hunt for food. Falconry later developed into a sport. This makes Falconry one of the oldest hobbies known to exist.
Why use Harris Hawks for Falconry?
The Harris Hawks are social and intelligent birds making them easy to train. They are the only raptors to hunt in packs. They are friendly birds and will seek the company of the falconer. They can reach speeds of 22-28 miles per hour. They are a beautiful medium-large bird of prey located in the southwestern United States south to Chile, central Argentina, and Brazil.