Choosing the right locations is the first step to any successful shoot – whether it’s a promotional video or the next instalment in one of the world’s biggest movie franchises. So when the creators of Star Wars: The Force Awakens went scouting for locations, the shortlist of candidates had to be spectacular. Think Tunisia for […]

Even if you’ve never been to Skellig Michael, you can picture it: A giant beak of stone rising from the sea and pointing at the sky. You’ve heard about its monastic settlement, its rich birdlife, and its fascination for Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams, but if you are afraid of heights, all […]

Had enough of plastic leprechauns made in China? Why not bring home souvenirs from Ireland that people will actually like. In fact, just to avoid your friends and family fighting over the gifts you bring home, you might be better off keeping the lot for yourself. Here are our top picks for the best souvenirs […]

Not just the preserve of science fiction geeks, Star Wars quotes have found a foothold in popular culture. There can be few people remaining on this planet (or any other) who have not heard the infamous “May the Force Be with You.” Been there, bought the t-shirt, but did you know that, although that phrase […]

Star Wars – The Force Awakens (2015) Of all the movies shot in Kerry, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is probably the most high-profile, but it’s certainly not the only blockbuster to be filmed here. J.J. Abrams fell in love with Skellig Michael, but he is just one of a long line of directors to […]

Sometimes it’s good to be left in the dark. UNESCO World Heritage site Skellig Michael made international headlines last year—and it had nothing to do with its role in the next Star Wars movies. In 2014, the International Dark Sky Association declared the area Ireland’s first international Dark Sky Place, and the first in the […]

You’ve probably heard of the Big 5 game animals In Africa, but what about the Skelligs birds Big 5? Unlike lions, elephants, leopards, buffalos, and rhinos, the Skelligs Big Five are a nimble lot that spend little time on land, preferring to fill their days soaring and diving between sky and Atlantic off the south […]

MEDIA RELEASE ***Embargo – 14.09.2015 14.00hrs*** Skellig Michael Star in the Wars Hearts were aflutter n Kerry this evening, following rumours that A-lister Puff Paddy had flown into Skellig Michael to shoot extra scenes for the new Star Wars movie. Reports from SkelligWars.com confirm sightings of a chirpy-looking Puff hanging out with friends Ethan Hawk […]

Skellig Michael might not be every location scout’s first suggestion when Star Wars springs to mind. It takes a bit of creativity to find the parallels between a 6th-century monastic settlement on an ocean-battered rock off the coast of Ireland and an epic rebellion against a dark empire in a galaxy far away. When you […]

As soon as it was revealed that scenes from Star Wars: The Force Awakens were to be shot on Skellig Michael, locals dubbed the island the “Jedi Monastery,” a reference to Luke Skywalker’s supposed exile there for almost the entire movie. And what a place to be exiled! We’ve been lucky enough to see Skellig […]