Via our pals at Coffee With Kenobi and tourism Ireland, here’s a look at Skellig and the special relationship Lucasfilm, Disney and The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has with the island.
The dramatic coastal scenery of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way has been wowing audiences since the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi – the real-life Ahch-To, where the latest instalment of the blockbuster series was filmed.
In a brand new, behind-the-scenes film released today, Mark Hamill praises Ireland’s beauty: “It’s like a fairy tale world…you just can’t believe your eyes.”
The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson recalls shooting: “A big chunk of the movie takes place on Luke’s Island, which is Skellig Michael, this uninhabited, tiny little island.”
Valerie O’Sullivan
Tourism Ireland
Filming for Star Wars: The Last Jedi on Skellig Michael took place over just two days in 2015 before moving to the mainland. Rian explains: “It’s a UNESCO Heritage Site, it’s a bird sanctuary, we could only get there for two days to shoot so the vast majority of the stuff set on the island was shot on the south west coast of Ireland because it very naturally shared the same kind of feel and look of Skellig.”
To continue to film on location in Ireland, the crew returned in 2016 and built replicas of Skellig Michael’s 6th century monastic ‘beehive’ huts on the mainland. The location scouts were so taken with Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way that key locations in counties Cork, Kerry, Clare and Donegal were handpicked to represent the planet Ahch-To in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
More background and stories about Star Wars filming on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way are available here: www.ireland.com/starwars
Since 1977, the renowned movie franchise has travelled through many galaxies. Ireland’s Star Wars journey, which began in Portmagee, County Kerry in 2014, has spanned some 2,000kms of the Wild Atlantic Way – from the south-western Skellig islands to Ireland’s most northerly point, Malin Head.
Describing Ireland, Rian said, “It’s a gorgeous place. I feel very, very lucky to be able to get it on film.”
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in '81 and been a presence online since webpage Fanta War in 1996. He currently contributes to ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com and Starburst Magazine, having previously written for magazines and sites including Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Lightsabre.co.uk, Jedi News, Jedi.net, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek The Official Magazine, Star Trek: TNZ and StarTrek.com.
He is the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since it began in 2015, hosting it four times, the EiC and Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
Via our pals at Coffee With Kenobi and tourism Ireland, here’s a look at Skellig and the special relationship Lucasfilm, Disney and The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has with the island.
The dramatic coastal scenery of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way has been wowing audiences since the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi – the real-life Ahch-To, where the latest instalment of the blockbuster series was filmed.
In a brand new, behind-the-scenes film released today, Mark Hamill praises Ireland’s beauty: “It’s like a fairy tale world…you just can’t believe your eyes.”
The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson recalls shooting: “A big chunk of the movie takes place on Luke’s Island, which is Skellig Michael, this uninhabited, tiny little island.”
Valerie O’Sullivan
Tourism Ireland
Filming for Star Wars: The Last Jedi on Skellig Michael took place over just two days in 2015 before moving to the mainland. Rian explains: “It’s a UNESCO Heritage Site, it’s a bird sanctuary, we could only get there for two days to shoot so the vast majority of the stuff set on the island was shot on the south west coast of Ireland because it very naturally shared the same kind of feel and look of Skellig.”
To continue to film on location in Ireland, the crew returned in 2016 and built replicas of Skellig Michael’s 6th century monastic ‘beehive’ huts on the mainland. The location scouts were so taken with Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way that key locations in counties Cork, Kerry, Clare and Donegal were handpicked to represent the planet Ahch-To in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
More background and stories about Star Wars filming on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way are available here: www.ireland.com/starwars
Since 1977, the renowned movie franchise has travelled through many galaxies. Ireland’s Star Wars journey, which began in Portmagee, County Kerry in 2014, has spanned some 2,000kms of the Wild Atlantic Way – from the south-western Skellig islands to Ireland’s most northerly point, Malin Head.
Describing Ireland, Rian said, “It’s a gorgeous place. I feel very, very lucky to be able to get it on film.”
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in '81 and been a presence online since webpage Fanta War in 1996. He currently contributes to ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com and Starburst Magazine, having previously written for magazines and sites including Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Lightsabre.co.uk, Jedi News, Jedi.net, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek The Official Magazine, Star Trek: TNZ and StarTrek.com.
He is the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since it began in 2015, hosting it four times, the EiC and Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
The community around the Skelligs in Ireland have combined to create an amazing festival of Star Wars entertainment. Our friends at The Moorings hotel got in touch with details of the events planned.
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To continue to film on location in Ireland, the crew returned in 2016 and built replicas of Skellig Michael’s 6th century monastic ‘beehive’ huts on the mainland. The location scouts were so taken with Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way that key locations in counties Cork, Kerry, Clare and Donegal were handpicked to represent the planet Ahch-To in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
