Clare County Council has given the go-ahead to the Ailwee Cave to construct a falconry centre at the Burren tourist attraction.
Ben Johnson of the Ailwee Cave said he hoped it would be in place by May of this year, at a cost of €150,000.
He said the falconry centre would be home to 70-80 birds, including vultures, eagles, falcons, hawks and the country's only snowy owl.
Planning permission was secured for the centre after it gave an undertaking that the birds would be fitted with special tracking devices to allow the centre to track them down if they escaped.
In information lodged with the council, the promoters of the proposed centre allayed concerns for the local bird population if the birds of prey were to escape. This will be achieved by social imprinting and by fitting the birds with Marshall radio transmitters, which will operate at a frequency of 218MHz and will give out a 32km (20-mile) signal.
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