Luke Skywalker may have visited lands in galaxies far, far away, but actor Mark Hamill has reserved special praise for Ireland’s Skellig Michael.
The Star Wars legend said that the island off the coast of Co Kerry was ‘indescribably beautiful’.
Filming for the latest film in the Star Wars saga (The Force Awakens) took place at the fascinating island and both Hamill and English actress Daisy Ridley found it a captivating and inspiring place.
When asked about Skellig Michael, Ridley, who played new heroine Rey in the latest movie, said: “It literally looks like a rock that’s just come out of the sea. To stand at the top and look at the sea was unbelievable.”
Their comments came from a short video called ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Behind the Scenes in Ireland’ and was released by tourism organisation Discover Ireland.
It featured members of both the cast and crew of The Force Awakens giving their verdict on Skellig Michael.
Director JJ Abrams Said: “It’s sort of a miracle this place ….. we could not be more honoured to be here.”
Tourism Ireland say that the video is ‘phase three’ of their Star Wars campaign.
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, said: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens was one of the most eagerly anticipated films for years. To have our phenomenal landscape feature so prominently in it filled Irish hearts with pride and gave the rest of the world a taste of what we have to offer.
“Phase three of Tourism Ireland’s special Star Wars campaign builds on that and will further encourage people to visit us in greater numbers and continue the success we have seen in the tourism sector in recent years. It will also, crucially, reward fans with new behind-the-scenes footage, which, I have no doubt, will be the source of much enjoyment for many.”
Take a look at the video below.
The video followed phase one of Tourism Ireland’s Star Wars campaign which involved setting up a special Star Wars page on their website and campaigning on social media in December 2015, around the time the movie was released.
Phase two was the first ‘behind the scenes’ video, which was released in January.
Take a look at the first video – titled ‘Star Wars The Force Awakens Exclusive: Behind the Scenes with JJ Abrams in Ireland’ which was released in January 2016.
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