Irish tourism is set to benefit from yet another movie – Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The tiny island of Skellig Michael off the coast of County Kerry, features in the new epic blockbuster out on December 17. The rock, a 45-minute boat ride from the mainland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its 6th century ‘beehive’ huts lived in by early monks.
Skellig Michael is also home each summer to thousands of nesting sea birds. Visitor numbers are controlled, but the Skelligs (a second, even smaller island lies nearby) make for a memorable day trip.
The Star Wars crew filmed in summer 2014, and returned in September to shoot a scene for the next Star Wars film due on screens in 2017.
With so many locations in Ireland, movie fans can easily build a touring holiday around beauty spots such as the Dingle Peninsula (Ryan’s Daughter 1970, Far and Away 1992) and County Wexford (Saving Private Ryan, 1998).
Kildare and Wicklow have screen time in Braveheart (1995), Michael Collins (1996), PS I Love You (2007) and others; Killary Harbour in County Galway hosted The Field (1990), Dublin’s streets feature in many Irish films and of course County Antrim and other Northern Ireland locations are regular backdrops for Game of Thrones.
Discover Michael Skellig and other film locations on a 2016 self-drive tour with Irish Ferries. Fares for a car and two adults start at £109 one-way.
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