Falcons and hawks could be used to reduce the number of “pest” seagulls in the Dún Laoghaire area, according to a local councillor.
Fine Gael councillor Frank McNamara put forward a motion to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to introduce a falconry or hawkery in the town’s harbour area where “trained falcons” would “reduce seagulls in the urban environment”.
Mr McNamara said he was “trying to craft a natural solution to a natural problem”.
He said when he lived and studied in Chicago, the US city had a rat problem which was solved by releasing cats in specific areas.
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“I try to come up with interesting solutions,” he said.
Describing the seagulls as a “pest” in the Dún Laoghaire area, he said: “They’re big and can be very aggressive.”
He claims they diminish the locality for people, giving examples of how they disturb locals when they are sitting down for coffee.
If someone drops something, “they’re all over it”, he said.
Birds of prey would not “dramatically alter the biosphere of the area” and were “natural to Ireland”, he said.
He conceded, however, that the people of Dún Laoghaire may feel “alarmed” at seeing birds of prey in the area.
Mr McNamara said he was “not optimistic” that his motion would pass and said it could take 12 to 18 months before the motion is voted on.
In response, the county council said: “Ireland supports a total of seven species of breeding gulls (Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull and Great Black-backed Gull and Kittiwake).”
The council said that under the EU Birds Directive all gull species were protected in Ireland.
“It is illegal to intentionally injure or kill a gull or take, damage or destroy an active nest or its contents,” the local authority said.
“The proposed measure would also pose a threat to other birds and wildlife protected under National and European Wildlife Legislation/Directives.”
Seagulls have the subject of extensive public complaints to a number of Dublin councils in recent years over strewn rubbish bags opened by the birds.
Birdwatch Ireland estimated in 2024 that there were about 10,000 pairs of seagulls living in urban areas, mostly in Dublin but also in Cork and Galway.
