This was a top ten day! Geoffrey was a marvelous guide. Funny, smart, so knowledgeable, and a great story teller. I loved that it was a private walk...just my daughter, me and Geoffrey. His love for nature and these beautiful creatures is apparent. He made us comfortable handling these magnificent birds and was genuinely happy to see our expressions of awe and wonder. He helped us set up pictures on our cameras because he knew how to get the best shots. If you do nothing else while in beautiful Killarney, visit this falconry!! read more

Killarney Falconry - Hiking Near Me

John was great! The birds even more fabulous!! It was a hoot for sure!! This was the highlight of our port stop in Cork. We took a private taxi tour and asked them to take us to Killarney for the one hour hawk walk. This was all planned ahead. These hawk walks are by appointment only. The location where this is done is on a farm or wooded area. Our taxi driver was luckily familiar with the area so it wasn't much trouble for us to find. However, we were emailed specific directions to the site if we had drove. If you are coming from the port Cobh, it's about an hour and 15 minute to hour and a half drive. It's definitely worth it!! The price ranges per person or group of people. Communication via email was great from prior leading up to the day of. John, our falconer drove up in his van with three feathered friends. Two owls- Rocco, a barn owl and Riley, a tawny owl and a Harris Hawk, named Tex. As we walked through a wooded area John proceeded to educate us on the Harris Hawk and how they are trained, but not tamed. They are free to fly away as they wish. However, to train them you get the hawk to a certain weight where they are hungry enough to come to you for food. They are not starved and In fact they are very capable of still hunting on their own. In fact, Tex was scouting out the land when we were doing the hawk walk and was ignoring us a little. Haha.. The hawks are not harmed when trained, it takes a lot of trust for you to train them, and when you train them in numbers or together with family they are more apt to train. For the hour we had the Harris hawk, Tex flew to our glove several times taking turns. John even has one set up to take a cool slow mo of the Harris hawk flying over your head!! There are plenty of photo ops and John gladly takes them for you. At the end we got to hold and pet the tawny and barn owl. These are all such lovely birds and it was truly an awesome Experience!! I learned so much! Forewarning, you are feeding the hawk either a rabbit or a chick. I didn't realize it until later. But if you think about it, those are quarry. John was great and I'm sure he got way too many laughs from mine and my sister's ridiculous comments!! I highly recommend this company! You won't be disappointed!! I recommend wearing long sleeves and pants and sneakers since you're in the woods. read more

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What a great experience. The goal of experiencing falconry has been on our bucket list for decades. Geoffrey provided us with a first hand experience, took many memorable photos and even taught us some techniques with our smart phone. An Epic Journey. read more

Killarney Falconry - Grace - Hiking Near Me

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My boyfriend and I booked with Killarney Falconry on a recent trip in late April. I wish I could book higher than 5 stars!!! I have to say this was the highlight of this trip- if you have any doubts about booking with this company please do not! Geoffrey was so knowledgeable about his sport and his birds. You can tell this is a passion for him. His birds are well cared for and he was able to answer even the most specific questions related to their care. To be able to handle these magnificent birds in such a small group was truly amazing. The tour was just Geoffrey and the two of us- so we really had a personal experience. We got to handle Michelangelo (Miko) the Harris Hawk during the hawk walk. The area where you do the hawk walk overlooks the Dunloe gap- so it is quite picturesque. Geoff was kind and open to answering all my questions, which were rather numerous because I have a soft spot for all birds of prey. This excursion crossed an item off my bucket list, as it is not something you can really do in the US. He was also awesome with letting us get all the photos and video shots we could ever want! At the end of the walk he allowed us to each hold an owl. I was allowed to hold Iago who was only 7 months old and my boyfriend got to hold a massive horned owl! After I told Geoff that I had a tattoo of a horned owl on my shoulder he allowed me to hold the horned owl too! I don't think there are words strong enough in the English language to describe how awesome this entire experience was for me! Seriously, if you are even remotely considering this excursion- it is worth every single Euro you spend for it!!! Killarney Falconry is professional, knowledgeable, and passionate about educating others about their animals and the ancient sport of falconry! Just book it! read more

What an amazing experience. Highly recommend for anyone coming to Ireland. Highlight of our trip read more

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I went to Ireland for 10 days with my husband and another couple. We really did a lot; about everything there is to do in Ireland. This was my very favorite activity. Our guide was incredible. He took time with us and taught us a lot and made extra effort to get us great photos and videos. Interacting with a tawny owl was one of the best moments of my life. I'm really grateful for this experience. read more

Killarney Falconry - Hiking Near Me

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One of the best things and most memorable excursions we have ever done! Don't miss this! Geoff is awesome. He is extremely knowledgeable but also just fun & salt to the earth good guy. We did a hawk walk with Arizona, a Harris hawk. It was fun and informative. Geoff's iPhone slo-mo tip gave us some awesome videos from our excursion. Afterwards, we were able to go see the owls. Holding the baby owl was priceless. This part of Ireland keeps bringing us back and I can tell you the next time we're in the area, we will be contacting Geoff. read more

Spent a week in Ireland for a friend's wedding and had an amazing time - HIghlight of the entire trip: Killarnay Falconry! It was, quite simply, incredible. Geoff walked us through the trail with his hawk, stopping to let all 5 people in our group get ample time having the hawk fly to our arms and get to know our "pack." Afterwards, we all got to hold, pet and play with owls all while learning about them. Amazing! Along the trail, Geoff talked all about birds of prey and how he got into this business. He truly loves what he does for a living and it shows - Interesting facts, interesting stories, interesting person! If you're close to Killarnay and want to have a one of a kind experience, I cannot recommend Killarnay Falconry enough! read more

Omg unbelievable highlight of Killarney. Don't use map in yelp got caught in mud but still lot of fun. Very accommodating

My boyfriend and I had a great time on this excursion. It's difficult to find so make sure you contact them via email before you go. John is very knowledgeable on the topic and will definitely make you comfortable with the birds if he can see you're afraid of them (meaning he's going to make you hold the hawk repeatedly again and again). Overall, solid experience for the price. read more

Killarney Falconry - Hiking Near Me

I wasn't really sure what to expect at first but this turned out to be a really great time. If you like birds, the outdoors, our just learning new things you should check this out. The birds are amazing and the handler is a wealth of knowledge. I never even knew falconers existed. read more

Killarney Falconry - This is Texas watching him work, learning about him, and watching the handler work with him was amazing. - Hiking Near Me

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My boyfriend and I did this experience a few weeks ago and loved it! It was such an amazing experience learning and handling the hawk. The handler even brought out the cutest owls at the end. Out of our entire trip, this experience was by far my favorite. read more

Lovely, enjoyable, entertaining and educational morning! Amazing information and beautiful, beautiful birds. John is a great teacher and clearly passionate about his topic. . read more