Girl, 3, gets €5k damages after hawk strike at Limerick falconry

A THREE-year-old child who was ‘struck’ by a hawk at an Limerick falconry facility has been awarded €5,000 in damages.

Newcastle West court heard this week that the girl, 3, was viewing the birds of prey at Adare Manor when she was ‘struck in the back’ by a Harris hawk on 30 August 2015.

The girl, who was born in June 2012 and is now five, sustained minor injuries as a result of being hit by the rogue hawk.

Her father told the court that she had forgotten about it for the most part, and “is okay now”.

“She kind of knows what happened but she is okay,” he said.

Adare Country Pursuits Limited were ordered to lodge €5,000 for the infant’s benefit, plus legal costs incurred by the injured party.

Falconry is one of the most popular activities for those visiting Adare.

The activities on offer, including learning how to fly a falcon and partaking in a ‘hawk walk’ where the bird flies along from tree to tree as you walk, are suitable for children, and incidents are very rare.

Harris hawks can be up to two foot long, and generally have a wingspan of more than a metre.