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Star Wars filming did not harm Skellig's bird population, Minister insists

Specialist staff from the wildlife service and the monuments service were on hand this week, as JJ Abrams filmed the latest installment of the franchise.

ARTS & HERITAGE MINISTER Heather Humphreys has said there was no adverse impact on the bird population of Skellig Michael during the filming of the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise this week.

Director JJ Abrams filmed for two days on the Co Kerry island this week.

Concerns were raised by environmentalists, including Birdwatch Ireland, in advance of the project — the group said it would have preferred if the filming could have been moved to later in the year, when breeding season is over.

There were also concerns that the potential impact of the filming could cost the beauty spot its Unesco World Heritage status.

In a statement tonight, the recently-appointed Minister said:

Through collaborative engagement with the film company we managed to tailor the project to ensure that filming could take place without adverse impacts on the bird population.

The Skelligs [Air Corps/Facebook]

She said she would not have agreed to a project that would endanger the bird populations or archaeology on the island, adding:

Specialist staff from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the National Monuments Service as well as OPW experts were on site throughout the filming and are satisfied that there were no negative impacts.

More than 70 Irish people worked for the film company in the past week, according to the Minister’s statement — although there was no breakdown of the roles they carried out.

“The combined effort of the local community, the State agencies and the international film world made this a truly special experience for all.

This was a Team Ireland effort and I believe it showcased Ireland’s wonderful arts, heritage and cultural assets, as well as our technical capabilities in the film production sector.

Read: Star Wars filming begins on Skellig Michael as exciting footage emerges

Read: Could Star Wars cost Skellig Michael its Unesco World Heritage status?

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    Mute Anel Cceram
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    May 10th 2012, 8:40 AM

    They are animals to deal with very aggressive I wish them nothing but bad luck

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    Mute Karl O' Neill
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    May 10th 2012, 8:48 AM

    Who, Danske? Couldn’t be much worse than our natives?

    25
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    Mute Aurfur
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    May 10th 2012, 9:41 AM

    What a waste of money rebranding, in England the Post Office spent millions rebranding to Consignia, no one understood what it meant, created difficulty for foreigners and went back to Post Office. Wasted money on rebranding could be put to better use.

    13
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    Mute Bilbo Baggins
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    May 10th 2012, 11:33 AM

    its a private company, they can do what they want with their money

    21
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    Mute Aurfur
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    May 10th 2012, 11:59 AM

    Still have to answer to shareholders and have responsibility to workers. (wasted money means less dividends and less jobs). There are loads of reasons why resources should not be wasted but as you righty point out they can do what they like with there money. The illustration I gave tried to demonstrate that rebranding is often a waste or resource.

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    Mute Eamonn Ned Ferry
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    May 10th 2012, 9:17 AM

    Suppose Ill have to learn Danish now.

    12
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    Mute Mark Andrew Salmon
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    May 10th 2012, 10:50 AM

    All you need to know is “tage din lån og proppe den op i røven på dig” that should just about cover negotiations :)

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    Mute Diarmuid Murray
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    May 10th 2012, 11:41 AM

    wonder will they pay the danish min.wage or ours?

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    Mute Garvan A Lennon
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    May 10th 2012, 10:26 AM

    Ireland to be rebranded West Germany

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    Mute Keith Banks
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    May 10th 2012, 10:36 AM

    you realise its a Danish bank yeah?

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    Mute Cavan
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    May 10th 2012, 8:36 AM

    Will we ger a bank of deutschland or an allied Deutchland bank?

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    Mute Mensah Mensah
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    May 10th 2012, 9:38 PM

    You cant change a leopard skin…fullstop

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    Mute Susie Chester
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    May 10th 2012, 9:47 AM

    ”The bank said the new structure will allow it to concentrate on corporate and private banking”
    Just goes to show how big business is for private and corporate banking is ….”Europe’s ”HighNet Worth Individuals” possessed more than €7.5 TRILLION in 2011 .Corporations continue to make massive profits …..

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    Mute Breandán Mac Séarraigh
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    May 10th 2012, 7:30 PM

    They relocated our account to Dundalk, then closed that branch and transferred us again, to Drogheda. They closed the ATM in Dundalk town centre, then the one at the petrol station at Ballymascanlan. The Dorgheda branch is on the second or thid floor of an otherwise empty ‘landmark’ (it means ugly and intrusive) tower. It is cashless. A bank with no money in it.

    Now they are going to do away with our cheque book and try to charge us for every transaction we make using our money with an ATM or debit card. I don’t think so.

    Still they are no worse than all the other speculating, gambling, rip-off bastard banks. Their get rich quick scheme didn’t work! Where do we move our account to now?

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    Mute Mark Larson
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    May 10th 2012, 2:31 PM

    When i first read it i thought its said deutsche bank

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    Mute Kev Dunne
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    May 10th 2012, 2:06 PM

    sinead, can u clarify if the winding down of property loans mentioned applies to mortgages or is it just commercial property loans?

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