The ancient and noble art of falconry has been practised for thousands of years, but it's rarely been more easily accessible to the curious.
Today, there are places across Britain, Ireland and the rest of the world where you can go on a hawk walk — or an an owl prowl — accompanied by an expert guide and a bird of prey, to see for yourself how these majestic creatures fly and hunt.
One such expert is Tommy Durcan, a falconer at Ireland's School of Falconry at Ashford Castle — once a home of the Guinness family — and we're delighted that he joined the Country Life podcast to talk to James Fisher about his life and work.
• Subscribe to the Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Subcribe to the Country Life podcast on Spotify
• Subscribe to the Country Life podcast on Audible
From the devastating energy of the hawks to the eerie silence of an owl in full flight, Tommy talks through how he came to work with these amazing creatures. Their astonishing skills and eyesight that goes far beyond that of any human are mixed with surprising fragility, where the slightest mistake during a hunt could cost them their lives. It's fascinating stuff.
You can find out more about Tommy and his colleagues — both avian and human — at the Ireland's School of Falconry website.
Not all of the animals at Ashford Castle have feathers: Tommy Durcan, pictured with two Irish Wolfhounds.
Episode credits
Host: James Fisher
Guest: Tommy Durcan
Editor and producer: Toby Keel
Music: JuliusH via Pixabay
-
Country Life 12 November 2025Country Life 12 Novemeber sees The King showing us his garden at Sandringham, plus Stanley Spencer, falconry and Chariots of Fire.
-
Bothered by brambles and snagged by sow thistles, but what is the point of all this thorny microaggression?Nature’s spiky deterrents — thorns, spines and prickles — may be quick to catch us out, but they can also prove to be a useful ally.
-
‘She was absolutely extraordinary. One of my favourite things, photographing her, was the power that came through the door’: Rankin on capturing Elizabeth II, embracing artificial intelligence and almost becoming an accountantThe world-renowned photographer tells Lotte Brundle about his most memorable meal, with Liam Gallagher, Patsy Kensit, Elvis Costello and the bass player in The Pogues — along with the rest of his consuming passions.
-
'People always think that, working on The Telegraph, I'll be told that things aren't right wing enough. But in 37 years, I've never, ever been told that’: The Telegraph’s cartoonist Matt on his consuming passionsThe Daily Telegraph cartoonist Matt — AKA Matthew Pritchett — talks to Lotte Brundle about his career as a cartoonist, his love of Snoopy and how he ‘stole’ his wife from Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen.
-
Bunny Mellon: The Truman Capote ‘Swan’, muse and horticulturalist whose creations for The White House were recently lost foreverAs Tiffany & Co. pay homage to Bunny Mellon with a new Bird on a Rock collection, Owen Holmes takes a look at the most iconic garden designs of this heiress-horticulturist, from her Virginia estate to the White House to Versailles.
-
'Never has there been a more important time to publicise great Victorian and Edwardian buildings in peril': The importance of saving our historic buildingsFor the 16th year, the Victorian Society is calling on the public to nominate Victorian or Edwardian buildings in England and Wales that are in need of saving.
-
'These days, they have almost nothing to do with Advent and quite a lot to do with bath oil and mini bottles of perfume': A snob’s guide to advent calendarsSophia Money-Coutts questions whether advent calendars have gone too far.
-
Amelia Thomas: The woman who learned to talk to animalsAmelia Thomas, the real-life Dr Dolittle who spent years decoding how animals talk, joins James Fisher on the Country Life podcast.
-
‘So many of us look at the world through our screens and forget to pay attention to the world outside’: Katy Hessel on the world’s great female artists, why free entry to museums matters and her consuming passionsThe author of ‘The Story of Art Without Men’ speaks to Lotte Brundle about the dangers of AI, how she fell in love with the art world and why it’s okay that her favourite painting is by a male artist.
-
'My family wore wool at a time when everyone else had cast it off in favour of manmade fabrics': The knitwear pioneer who is one of David Beckham's countryside championsJulie Harding speaks to Rachel Carvell-Spedding the founder of British knitwear brand Navygrey, and one of David Beckham's countryside champions.
