VIDEO: Star Wars Crew And JJ Abrams Talk About Beauty Of Skellig Michael

Posted in International, Kerry News, Something Cool by Fergus Writes Things

JJ Abrams was blown away by the beauty of the island.

THE STAR WARS crew along with the films director JJ Abrams have been talking about the practicalities and logistics involved in shooting on Skellig Michael while all the time praising the inherent beauty of the location, in a new video uploaded by Discover Ireland.

The short two-minute clip features interviews with the production crew of the hit seventh installment in the saga and in which they talk about finding the location, their reactions to it and the difficulties of shooting on such a tricky location.

JJ Abrams expresses his shock and awe at the location, at first not able to believe that they were allowed to film on the island.

“I can’t believe they let us shoot there, I mean it was so beautiful”, he says.

“I remember when we all flew in, it was special,” says executive producer Tommy Harper.

Check out the full clip below, which features some absolutely wonderful shots of Skellig Michael.

3Jan2016

Star Wars May Not Be Returning To Kerry Anytime Soon

Posted in International, Kerry News by Fergus Writes Things

Skellig Michael plays an important role in the ‘Force Awakens’.

SKELLIG MICHAELS appearance in the latest Star Wars film is set to bring untold benefits to both Kerry and Ireland, but if recent reports are to be believed, our shores might have seen the last of the high profile filming crew for a while.

A report has surfaced today that suggests that the famous monastic settlement site has been recreated on a set in the Pinewood Studios in London, which if true, will spell an end to the local involvement in filming.

While this has not yet been officially confirmed by Disney, the Sunday Times reports that the ‘makingstarwars.net’ website has stated that for those involved in making the film, “filming at Skellig Michael was just too complicated for environmental reasons”.

We won’t know anything for sure until Disney or Lucasfilm choose to issue a statement, we can only wait and see.

What we can be sure of is with ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ grossing over $1 billion so far and with Skellig having a starring (and stunning) role in the story line, it’s certainly not a bad cameo role to have had at all.

Watch this space for further developments.

2Dec2015

Famous Kerry Scenery Gets High Praise In New York Times Article

Posted in International, Kerry News, Scenery by Fergus Writes Things

The soon to be released ‘Star Wars’ film is expected to catapult Kerry tourism into new heights.

IN NEWS that will come as another huge boost for local tourism, Kerry has just received a wonderful new write up in one of the worlds most famous literary outlets, the New York Times.

For anyone that might not yet have heard, there is a certain film set to be released in just over two weeks that is set to feature one of Kerry’s most famous tourism sites.

That film is of course Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens and our very own Skellig Michael is set to play some sort of (hopefully) pivotal role in the film.

Hype for the film is at an all time high and one journalist from the New York Times took a trip out to Skellig Michael and its surrounding environs recently and this is what he had to say…

The appeal of Skellig

Skellig is without doubt one of the most breathtaking and unique places you could visit.

“Its remote location has kept the island, a Unesco site, under the radar — luring far fewer (and far more adventurous) souls than other Irish wonders with a high-wattage wow factor, such as the Cliffs of Moher.”

About Mark Hamill

Mark Hamill pulling a pint of the ‘good stuff’ in the Bridge Bar in Portmagee earlier this year.

“Like many in Portmagee, he (ferryman Declan O’Driscoll) had signed a nondisclosure agreement, giving up the right to dish details of the filming. But you’d sooner keep a Wookiee from roaring than an Irishman from regaling a willing audience, and soon Mr. O’Driscoll was dishing away. “A bunch of us boatmen were standing around, and Mark Hamill came over,” he recalled. “He said, ‘Any advice for climbing the stairs?’ We told him, ‘Just pace yourself, and don’t ever, ever look down,”

About the stunning scenery on offer

The scenery is something to behold.

“There was something mournful and beautiful about it all: the six beehive-shaped monastic cells huddled together, two boat-shaped oratories, as well as crude stone crosses, serving as grave markers, and the ruins of a medieval church. The views over the Atlantic were endless, and gulls and gannets soared and dived, their cries echoing with either anguished loneliness or triumphant salvation, possibly a bit of both,”

Check out the full New York Times article HERE.