The sequel trilogy has shined a light on the Wild Atlantic Way on the west coast of Ireland – the home of the ancient Jedi Temple on Ahch-To where Luke Skywalker stepped away from the galaxy in solitude – and as a consequence, the region has become a must-visit location for Star Wars fans to visit.
Even without the starfighters, the coastal road is nothing short of otherworldly – and the secret is out. Its dramatic cliffs wind hundreds of kilometres from the northern headlands of Donegal to Cork, past a rolling patchwork of dry stonewalled smallholdings that have remained unchanged for thousands of years.
The journey along Ireland’s west coast is the longest signposted route in the world, and has been a hugely popular road trip for British and Irish travellers for decades. And now, thanks to George Lucas’s hit franchise, the road has come to the attention of thousands of others from all over the world. Many fly into Dublin – a seven-hour trip from Dubai or Abu Dhabi – as it’s perfectly located if you want to attack the route from either north or south.
Fans were given a first jaw-dropping view of the dramatic landscape in episode seven, when Rei tracks down Luke Skywalker to a remote island world. It is in fact Skellig Michael, a wild and rocky outcrop 11 kilometres off the coast of Kerry.
