Ireland's School of Falconry

Yes, it is going to be difficult without a car (or a hired driver). There might be a bus to Cong, which is where Ashford Castle is located and the School of Falconry on their grounds.

But, if you are not aware, Dromoland Castle, which is in the same general area as the Shannon Airport also offers a Hawk Walk on its grounds. If, by chance, you are staying in the area near Shannon on your first night (or your last night), you might be able to get to Dromoland for a semi-reasonable taxi journey. Will you be flying out of Shannon, or are you heading in a different direction? If you are also departing from Shannon, you could potentially do the Hawk Walk at Dromoland the day prior to departure.

We saw people with their hawks at Dromoland, but we only have experience doing the Hawk Walk at Ashford. Ashford is truly fabulous (now one of the top 5 hotels in the world by Travel & Leisure Magazine), so if you can work out a way to get there for the hawk experience, you might really enjoy seeing it. As I always rationalize, when you will ever be closer again?

If you need a taxi in the area, we can highly recommend Tony McGann with Doolin Taxi. He could pick you up at the airport, take you to the Cliffs of Moher and then on to Galway, then pick you up for a trip to Dromoland (or even Ashford), as well as a return to Shannon(if you are leaving from Shannon).

While in the area, consider a visit to the Bunratty Folk Park.

My wife & I stayed at Ashford Castle in May and signed up for the Falconry class and it was the highlight of our trip to Ireland. It is truly a "backdoor experience".

Thank you, both for your replies. I think that we may just rent a car in Galway for the day. I was hoping to spare my husband some driving, as we're renting a car when we get to the east coast, but he actually doesn't mind it.