When we went several years ago, it was part of the itinerary- signup was done through the TD. The free experience was done at Mt. Juliet. Some people signed up to do it again on their own (expense) at Ashford Castle.
Just got back from Tauck Ireland trip. (May/June 2022) Here’s my falconry comments. At Ashford Castle, we had to skip going to Killarney in the morn to make our 2 pm private hawk walk which I booked with the school by email. (And for those of you seeing hints of a boat ride in Killarney from earlier trips, they are no longer offering this surprise option.) Staying back was just fine as there is so much to explore on the grounds of the castle. We met our young falconry guide, got a few tips on how to hold our gloves and met our hawks. Then, proceeded out to the forest to fly our hawks. It was thrilling to watch them swoop back and forth from the glove to the trees and we were perfectly satisfied with our one hour. Our guide was a nice guy, but not very forthcoming. If we asked questions, we got answers, but it was like pulling teeth. However, seeing the birds fly and being out in the forrest with them was so exhilarating that when we got to Lyrath Estate and they offered group falconry, we said, “Sign us up!” OMG!!! What a difference!!! Even though we were with a group of seven, we got to meet an adorable owl and have it sit on our glove, fly a hawk several times and have a demo of a peregrine diving for his food. All the while, the loveliest couple, John and Caroline, who run the Hawkeye School of Falconry included interesting facts about breeding the birds, how they came to love falconry, care of the birds, how they eat and digest their food, how far and fast they fly. The info was engaging and kept coming. Meanwhile, Caroline took each of our phones in turn and shot stills, video and slo-mo video of each of us when it was our turn to “fly” the hawk. It was agreed by all that it was the best afternoon of the two-week trip, and for my hubby and me the complete picture of what a falconry session should be.
Comments
I did.
**** do you make the reservations through Tauck of the hotel?
I sent emails to both the hotel and the Falconry School. Both responded promptly.
When we went several years ago, it was part of the itinerary- signup was done through the TD. The free experience was done at Mt. Juliet. Some people signed up to do it again on their own (expense) at Ashford Castle.
Just got back from Tauck Ireland trip. (May/June 2022) Here’s my falconry comments. At Ashford Castle, we had to skip going to Killarney in the morn to make our 2 pm private hawk walk which I booked with the school by email. (And for those of you seeing hints of a boat ride in Killarney from earlier trips, they are no longer offering this surprise option.) Staying back was just fine as there is so much to explore on the grounds of the castle. We met our young falconry guide, got a few tips on how to hold our gloves and met our hawks. Then, proceeded out to the forest to fly our hawks. It was thrilling to watch them swoop back and forth from the glove to the trees and we were perfectly satisfied with our one hour. Our guide was a nice guy, but not very forthcoming. If we asked questions, we got answers, but it was like pulling teeth. However, seeing the birds fly and being out in the forrest with them was so exhilarating that when we got to Lyrath Estate and they offered group falconry, we said, “Sign us up!” OMG!!! What a difference!!! Even though we were with a group of seven, we got to meet an adorable owl and have it sit on our glove, fly a hawk several times and have a demo of a peregrine diving for his food. All the while, the loveliest couple, John and Caroline, who run the Hawkeye School of Falconry included interesting facts about breeding the birds, how they came to love falconry, care of the birds, how they eat and digest their food, how far and fast they fly. The info was engaging and kept coming. Meanwhile, Caroline took each of our phones in turn and shot stills, video and slo-mo video of each of us when it was our turn to “fly” the hawk. It was agreed by all that it was the best afternoon of the two-week trip, and for my hubby and me the complete picture of what a falconry session should be.
That looks like the same falconer we had in 2016 and in my pic!