Ireland’s School of Falconry

Absolutely amazing! If you find yourself anywhere near Ireland’s School of Falconry you MUST do a hawk walk – it’s truly an incredible once-​in-​a-​lifetime experience! Trekking through the wooded grounds of Ashford Castle with a hawk on my arm was, without a doubt, the most memorable moment of my entire trip, and I cannot recommend it enough. The birds are majestic (we spent the walk with sister hawks Joyce and Swift), and while flying them (and having them land on your glove!) is amazing, I also really enjoyed being able to admire their beauty up close as they rested on our arms. (Including the moment when Joyce chowed down on a chicken head right next to my face! Gross, but also kind of cool.) The human element of Ireland’s School of Falconry was also impressive. Firstly, the school was kindly accommodating, allowing us to push the start time of our walk back a bit due to an unexpectedly long line at Ashford’s hotel checkout. And while on the tour our guide Tommy was incredibly knowledgeable, teaching my group about the history of falconry, explaining raptor behavior, and expertly answering every question we threw his way. A big thank you to the staff who were absolutely lovely throughout the entire experience!
If you’re ever in County Mayo and the opportunity presents itself, I implore you, DO THIS WALK. You will not regret it!

A fairly short walk from the Center of Cong (think the statue of John Wayne & Maureen O’Hara), into the grounds of Ashford Castle, you’ll find this extraordinary adventure. After your guide introduces you to a number of birds, including owls, falcons & hawks, & explains a bit of what the experience will entail, you are led out into a more open path. One of your party may get to carry the bird, in my case, a Harris Hawk, on your gloved hand.
And then, after clear instruction from your guide, you set the bird aloft. It will fly into a nearby perch & then you will call it back, take another turn or two & then the next member of your party will have a go. Learning about falconry & what these people do, & about the birds themselves is quite fascinating. I’d definitely recommend this, certainly over hitting yet another pub. It’s also very good for children. I was told the youngest they’ve had was a wee 2 year old!

We had a wonderful time here. Our guide answered all of our questions and made it a very fun and informative experience. I recommend the extended walk. We got the option of extending our walk or flying their owl named Dingle. It was an awesome part of our trip to Ireland and highly recommend this to everyone.

My husband, daughter and I went for a Hawk Walk on Saturday, April 11^th. It was a fantastic experience. Tommy, our guide and falconry expert, was friendly and engaging, and exceptionally knowledgeable. We took 2 Harris Hawks (Stoker and his sister Joyce) out for an hour’s walk in the woods, but first we were introduced to all of the magnificent hawks, falcons, owls, and kestrels in the facility. Between the beautiful setting in the woods, the hawks, and the company, it was one of the most fun and interesting things we’ve ever done while on vacation. I highly recommend the activity!

Wow, sums up my experience in one word!
This place is amazing. I spent two weeks in Ireland visiting various popular attractions and the school of falconry was the best thing I did the entire time on the island.
It was a dream come true to walk a castle garden and woods with a hawk on your arm. I did the hawk walk and added the extension which was worth every penny. The staff here is very passionate and educated on all the birds that they own. Their is no cruelty here guys, as I’m reluctant to give any animal business money or promotion.
Would highly recommend this place if you are looking for a one of a kind unforgettable experience.

Absolutely the coolest thing we did on our entire trip to Ireland. Hands down.
Tommy was our guide and started out by giving a really interesting background about birds of prey in general and then introduced us to Rua and Geimhreadh (pronounced Geeevrah and means winter in Gaelic) the hawks we would be flying. Who knew they’d be SO LIGHT?
We then got to walk with the hawks and launch them several times and have them come back and land on our arms. We walked in varying environments of open road and through the woods. The hawks navigated them all without issue as Tommy explained how they fly/​steer through tight areas. Many times they even brushed our heads with their wings, super cool!
We brought 4 people so we got to switch on and off between one another by simply putting gloves on or taking them off. It was super interesting that the hawks won’t land on an ungloved arm because they were never rewarded for having done so while they grew up. This saves you any concern about your arm if you don’t have a glove on!
At the end of the walk, since the hawks needed to be fed additionally we also got to watch them wolf down chicken heads and full mice right in front of us which, although a little gore filled, was pretty awesome! On top of this, Laura, one of the other guides brought out Dingle their East Asian Owl, he has a 5 foot wing span! Woah, check out his eyes, really really neat.
In general Tommy and Laura were both full of interesting information and you can tell they really love what they do and care for the birds they are taking care of. I highly recommend this to anyone/​everyone!!!
Craig

Cannot rave enough about this experience. It was once in a lifetime, completely worth every penny, amazing time. We had a private tour the day we landed in Ireland. Nothing like starting your vacation with flying falcons. Note: the falcons are not going to hunt during the walk, you will be calling them. My husband and I both had a falcon and learned all about their way of life through the walk. At the end, we were treated with flying the owl. All the birds were majestic. If you are anywhere near Ashford Castle, you MUST do the Hawk Walk.

Simply an amazing experience. A friend and I did a 60 minute adventure with falcons on one arm and cameras in the other. We had an exclusive guide who showed us the various birds and gave us background on them, then took us out for a flying walk around the Castle Grounds.
You can’t really imagine what it’s like to launch and retrieve a hawk from your arm until you do it. A must have adventure.

This is one of the most wonderful places on earth !! The experience of «catching» a Harris Hawk or Eurasian Eagle Owl is amazing !! The staff is great… particularly Laura and Eoin ! This is an experience NOT to be missed ! I went last year and returned this year. Ashford Castle is magical… and the School of Falconry makes it even more amazing ! When you walk on the grounds of a castle built in 1223 with a Harris Hawk on your arm … takes you breath away !

Ireland has many things to offer:
— Guinness on tap EVERYWHERE
— Cliffs of Moher
— Castles and castles and castles
— Driving on the left
But the highlight of our trip is easily Ireland’s School of Falconry. Hands down, hats off, no arguments here.
Reservations is through the school and not Ashford Castle but it was super easy through email. We were able to be accommodated on our time and day of choice. With so many times available, it is very likely that your walk is going to be a private one. Whoop whoop!
First we received a brief introduction of the different birds available, an owl who thinks he’s human and flirts with women, the various friendly and unfriendly Harris hawks, and their peregrine falcon. Our tour guide, although only doing this for 9 months, has an extensive knowledge of all the birds, how they train and fun stories of exercising these birds.
Next we receive our gloves and birds. The boy took Maya, a young but big girl weighing around 2.2 kg, and I received Killary, an old but spunky boy weighing 1.1 kg. After the birds are securely perched on our gloves, we took off with our guide walking on the castle grounds.
You extend your arm with a little push forward to cast off your bird, s/​he flies off to a branch or something. You raise your arm up with a little «treat» — treat = frozen baby chicks — from the guide and the bird flies back to you. We did this for an hour, walking in the woods, watching the birds maneuver around trees/​branches.
It was amazing.. . Simply amazing to watch these birds in action. If you are anywhere in the area, this IS. A. MUST!!! Truly a unique experience.

Outstanding, amazing, incredible 5-​star experience! If you are anywhere near Ashford Castle, you must plan a trip to the School of Falconry on the property, and spend 90 minutes on a hawk/​falcon walk.
We had an amazing, charismatic, and knowledgeable guide (Connell), who took our family (2 adults and 3 young children) on a beautiful walk through the property and forests around Ashford Castle, with our very own falcon. It was awesome!
We took turns with the «gloves» and food… and each had multiple opportunities to send, release, and return our falcon. Watching how fast, agile and majestic these animals are was incredible. My wife and I loved the experience, and my kids have been raving about it non-​stop every since.
To see these birds fly around and have them come back and land on your arm is just breathtaking, and gives you a greater appreciation for these awesome animals, their trainers, and nature in general.
Our guide was great and answered all our questions and provided some very interesting information on the hawks and falconry.
Awesome 5-​star experience… thank you Ireland School of Falconry!

It’s with such pleasure and longing that I write this review, I wish I was there right now! It was an incredible experience… I’ve always been drawn to these mystical birds and so it was in a state of dream-​like wonder that I actually got to fly one on my own in late September of 2012. My bird was Rua (it means Red in Gaelic) and she was magnificent! She flew so beatifully and with such joy. Our instructor was Aurelie, and what a treasure. She was so genuinely enthusiastic, so incredibly knowledgeable, patient and kind… she really treated us to the perfect hawk walk. I actually cried during the walk because I was so overwhelmed with pure joy and awe that I was actually holding a hawk and walking in the pristine woods of Ireland as if I’d done it thousands of years before. It’s really a hidden gem, as if the incredible castle and grounds werent enough wonderment, but this made our stay at Ashford Castle complete, memorable and magical. I suggest asking for Aurelie, doing no more than 2 people per walk and doing the extended walk,.get all you can out of it! We also took video, and we are so happy we did because it’s hard to capture the true grandeur with just pictures and memories and Aurelie was nice enough to take some footage for us that we will no doubt treasure for a lifetime. Thank you!!!

In short, this is a must-​not-​miss activity if you’re anywhere in the vicinity. It’s a very unique and high quality experience.
My walk was led by Deborah, one of the proprietors (the other is her husband). She is extremely knowledgeable about her birds and the sport of falconry. Facilities are top notch and fit well into the overall theme of the Ashford Castle. The School’s staff is friendly and helpful.
We walked through open pasture and dense woods, which the Harris hawk maneuvered with great agility. The hawk followed us as we walked the castle’s forest, returning to the heavy leather glove whenever we called to receive its reward of raw mouse part. After the hawk, we flew the eagle owl – a large and impressive bird with vice-​like talons requiring an extra thick glove to protect our hands. For its reward, the owl enjoyed fresh chicken heads. The rewards are an essential part of flying the birds and not as ghoulish as they sound.
The walk is not strenuous or difficult. People of all ages would enjoy this experience immensely.

Amazing experience! My friend and I recently took a trip to Ireland and stayed at Ashford Castle. This was a must out of all the activities offered. We did the 90 minute hawk walk and had two young Harris Hawks. What an amazing experience! To see these birds fly around and have them come back and land on your arm is just breathtaking.
Our guide was great and answered all our questions and provided some very interesting information on the hawks and falconry. One of my favorite moments came at the end when we got to have the owl out and train with us.
I recommend this to anyone traveling into County Mayo.

Our visit to the Ireland’s School of Falconry at Ashford Castle was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Rick and I both got to work with Harris Hawks, which are beautiful. We received an informal history lesson about falconry, and then we walked with the birds. You will never forget the first time you release the bird and he comes back to you!