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Taking the Kids: Trying falconry, the ancient sport of kings

By Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on

Hello, Autumn! No, not the season, though we are less than a month away from my favorite season, but Autumn the beautiful, slightly over two pounds Harris Hawk, who lands on my gloved arm. She's actually named Fomhar (Gaelic for autumn).

We are at Ireland’s School of Falconry -- the oldest in the country and home to more than 30 birds, including the always popular Dingle the owl. The school is located at Ashford Castle and on our recent Hawk Walk here and also at the British School of Falconry in Scotland,” we learned some of the rudiments of the "sport of kings," reputed to be the oldest sport in the world.

Did you know the term "hoodwinked" comes from the practice of putting a hood over a falcon or hawk's head to calm them? "Under your thumb" comes from the way you are supposed to hold hawk's leather straps in your gloved hand. "Fed up" originally meant the falcons had eaten plenty and would have no interest in hunting.

It's no surprise kids can't seem to get enough of the birds and falconry. Eleven-year-old Will Reed, who is from Michigan, is back for a second go-round and is hoping his mother will let him do a third.

"I'd never held a hawk before," said the equally excited Cole Harmon, 10, who is from California.

Part of the appeal of resorts like this one and Gleneagles in Scotland, is the chance to sample iconic country sports that aren't readily available in many places, said Emma Ford, who started the British School of Falconry in 1982, England's first, moving it to Gleneagles in 1992. "We haven't looked back since," said Ford, who is also author of several books on falconry. "Falconry is the most popular activity we have. Guests come back again and again and ask for the same hawk." They may just go off for a short Hawk Walk or go out in the Scottish countryside in an off-road vehicle for several hours, hunting rabbit.

 

She adds that Harris Hawks, which are native the American Southwest and Mexico, traditionally work as a family team, making it easier to hunt with more than one bird at a time. Most importantly -- they get on really well with new people.

Falconer Conal Dixon, a former grade-school teacher and our guide at Ireland's School of Falconry, says even preschoolers can participate. "The kids are better than their parents," he said. "They don't think about being afraid ... they just think awesome!"

Besides the chance for a memorable vacation experience, falconry can offer kids an up-close and personal lesson in the natural world and why we need to protect it, falconers say. This is the only sport to use trained wild creatures. "We get a lot of kids who leave here wanting to become vets," said Dixon.

"Everyone is interested in wildlife and the natural world now," added James Knight, who, along with his wife Debbie, started the falconry school at Ashford Castle. "This gives them a chance to see the birds in a different way."

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