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The cast of Star Wars at the London premiere of the film Joel Ryan/PA Wire

Star Wars look set to return to Ireland for further filming

It seems Hollywood will be back in the west later this year, but not on Skellig Michael this time around.

REPORTS THIS EVENING are the Star Wars show looks set to roll back into Kerry later this year.

The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht – which has not specifically confirmed that Star Wars’ production company Lucasfilm is involved – has said that some filming on the Ceann Sibéal/Sybil Head area of the Dingle Peninsula will be taking place later this year.

Skellig Michael served as the location for the now-iconic final scene of Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens.

While the island’s appearance in the film is expected to boost the area’s profile among tourists, filming at the site was opposed by environmental group An Taisce and also Birdwatch Ireland.

The land where the filming will take place later this year is privately owned and currently used for agricultural purposes.

It is within what the Department describe as a ‘special protection area’ and is currently used by walkers and tourists.

In the statement issued to TheJournal.ie, the Department has said that the National Parks and Wildlife Service has examined the proposal in detail and is satisfied that filming will not adversely affect the area. 

The filming has been granted after officials from the Department were satisfied that the area will not be damaged.

It went on to say:

Permission for filming has been granted subject to strict conditions. A Departmental habitats expert will be present during the shoot. Filming on Sybil Head is not expected to start for a number of months. 

Read: Skellig Michael is the very first shot of Star Wars: Episode VIII

Also: Production company in hot water over Star Wars incident that broke Harrison Ford’s leg

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55 Comments
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    Mute IrishGravyTrain
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:13 PM

    Healy Raes to make a cameo appearance.

    147
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    Mute Uncle Denise
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:24 PM

    I hope they do, Joan Burton can fall out of a boat again in a swamp scene.

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    Mute IrishGravyTrain
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:27 PM

    Hoping for a lightsaber scene with Joan.

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    Mute nf
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:27 PM

    Sure the H-R boys organised this…. And looks like the crew have been approved for rural renewal grants

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    Mute Uncle Denise
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:38 PM

    Mario Rosenstock would be a priceless addition in most scenes

    7
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    Mute Lester Jeffcoat
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:11 PM

    “These are not the pints you are looking for”.

    24
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    Mute Ken Pepper
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    Mar 4th 2016, 1:23 AM

    CAN I JUST SAY…LUKE……I’m your MUDDDDDDeeeeeerrrrrrr !

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    Mute Robert Burke
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    Mar 4th 2016, 2:19 AM

    Joango fett

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    Mute Gerald Horgan
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    Mar 4th 2016, 4:09 AM

    “Healy Raes to make a cameo appearance.”
    Nah but you might spilling gravy over your mobile phone

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    Mute jenni
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:28 PM

    Isnt it fantastic that we have some of the most mindblowing scenery in this country. Most of us dont even realise it. Next summer I would reccommend to everyone..go out and do a boat trip and see what the star wars guys are seeing.. the blaskets. Theres the whole shore to see and its freaking amazing. As amazing as star wars makes it look.

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    Mute nf
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:32 PM

    Well said Jenni

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    Mute Ivor Hardy
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:43 PM

    Jenni id say it’s nothing more then what people would to do but the sh!t weather turns everybody off

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    Mute John B
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    Mar 4th 2016, 4:51 AM

    Ireland is Beau, and yet you have the do-gooders trying to stop advertising our beautiful country to the world

    10
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    Mute Ciarán Ó Dubhda
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    Mar 4th 2016, 10:03 AM

    I make the trip to Kerry at least twice a year, my favourite spot on earth. I’m heading down in a couple of weeks for my 40th, can’t wait

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    Mute O Swetenham
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:24 PM

    They’re secretly filming all over the country. Several ewoks have been spotted roaming around Newgrange and a single wookie turd was found close to the cliffs of moher.

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    Mute Steve T
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:37 PM

    No, they are just the locals..

    28
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    Mute Paul h
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:39 PM

    Exactly jenni, very well said, a lot of people in Ireland have never seen some of the wonderful wonderful sights we have right on our doorsteps.

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    Mute Gary Quigley
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:21 PM

    Oran shut up fool

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    Mute Oran Joyce
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:25 PM

    Hate that.

    4
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    Mute Del Haven
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    Mar 4th 2016, 6:09 AM

    Oran, you aren’t fooling me. You are a troll acting under the guise of being serious. Trekkies indeed, that’s not trying to get a rise out of anyone at all…on a story about Star wars. And don’t act like you didn’t know. This calls for your future posts to be rightfully ignored. You complete sandwich.

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    Mute TheBull
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    Mar 4th 2016, 9:21 AM

    He’s Paddy Scully. Religious nutjob.

    3
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    Mute James Xenophon
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:58 PM

    I assume it’s a stand-in for Skellig Michael. It looks similar, but there are more open and flat areas they could film on.

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    Mute Josephine Sweeney
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:22 PM
    12
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    Mute Josephine Sweeney
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:21 PM

    cogadh na realta

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    Mute Oran Joyce
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:58 PM

    Prostituting out the Irish landscape for a fistful of dollars shows a distinct lack of respect for our cultural heritage.
    People attempting to exercise their right to walk the region will be bullied away by hired security.
    For what?
    A couple of seconds of instantly forgettable photography in a children’s movie?
    Shame on all concerned.

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    Mute James Xenophon
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:03 PM

    Have you got a problem with the Irish tourist board filming there to make ads to be shown abroad? Now imagine the tourist board could get somebody to film the place at no cost for them, and that it could be shown to an audience thousands of times larger than the average audience for a tourism ad, with no associated advertising costs. Imagine …

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    Mute Critical_Thinker
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:05 PM

    Do you ever not complain about anything?

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    Mute Oran Joyce
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:24 PM

    So whose the target audience?
    Trekkies.
    The type of people who use travel to enjoy natural unspoiled landscape such as the Dingle Peninsula do not watch Star Trek.
    The Wild Atlantic Way has been a huge success in increasing tourism numbers on the west coast.
    Anyway.
    Who doesn’t know about Kerry at this point?
    It’s been a popular destination for tourists for decades.

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    Mute Oran Joyce
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:27 PM

    ‘Do you ever not complain about anything?’
    I’m Irish, what do you expect?
    Eternal optimism?

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    Mute Ísla Carabine
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:31 PM

    STAR WARS.

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    Mute Oran Joyce
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:35 PM

    OK Warsies then.

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    Mute James Xenophon
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:57 PM

    You’d have a point if Star Wars had a niche audience. Everyone went to see Star Wars, including my mother who never goes to the cinema. Everyone went to see Lord of the Rings, and are you telling me that didn’t have a huge effect on NZ tourism?

    29
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    Mute Oran Joyce
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    Mar 4th 2016, 12:15 AM

    Time will tell I suppose.
    How do you put a value on cultural heritage though.
    ( let some Hollywood studio exec decide)

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    Mute Del Haven
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    Mar 4th 2016, 3:18 AM

    Cultural heritage goes for around €67 per gram

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    Mute Gerald Horgan
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    Mar 4th 2016, 4:07 AM

    Prostituting out the Irish landscape …
    OMG I guess you have never visited the actual location :)

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    Mute Gerald Horgan
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    Mar 4th 2016, 4:36 AM

    Just wondering Oran have you ever even visited Ceann Sibéal ? and no I am not talking about the golf course or the hotel in Ballyferriter :)
    The actual location of filming is in a remote area and on private owned land …
    Next time you are in the Dingle Peninsula I will show you around …
    http://utv.ie/News/2016/03/03/Star-Wars-to-return-to-Kerry-for-new-film-55127

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    Mute Sarah Ennis
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 11:01 PM

    Somebody please think of the wildlife.

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    Mute John Mossy Naz Scales
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    Mar 4th 2016, 5:11 PM

    Sarah the wildlife will be up in the dail that day lol they will be ok the healy-raes

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    Mute Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
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    Mar 4th 2016, 12:46 AM

    The mothership might be attacked by Healy Rays a new top secret intergalactic weapon with a force of 40000 vo(l)tages, to the cries of “HungDáil! HungDáil!!”.

    6
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    Mute john jones
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    Mar 4th 2016, 1:10 AM

    And in other news , Joan burton still looks like the mother from throw mama from the train and the goonies

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    Mute Ross Stewart
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    Mar 3rd 2016, 10:18 PM
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    Mute Gerald Horgan
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    Mar 4th 2016, 4:37 AM

    yep that was Skellig Michael and ?

    6
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    Mute Johan Bergman
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    Mar 4th 2016, 8:58 AM

    Yep, they destroyed the place. Helicopters swept the birds and their young right into the sea, damage done to the walkway and steps and it would have been way worse had people not stood up to them. An Taisce sold them out. The people who work on the rock for most of the year were in tears at the damage caused.

    Shortsightedness for a few dollars for a few businessmen in Dingle. The peninsula is just a tourist attraction now for the benefit of the few. Dingle doesn’t even have a community center which speaks volumes. Udaras are worse than useless for getting real sustainable jobs to the place, all you can hope for is seasonal work for crap pay. Star Wars can kiss my a**.

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    Mute Gerald Horgan
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    Mar 4th 2016, 9:05 AM

    LOL talk about a deflection post …
    The Skellig Rock and Ceann Sibéal are two VERY DIFFERENT places … and the article is about Ceann Sibéal ….
    Dingle businessmen have nothing to do with the Skellig Rock …
    ” peninsula is just a tourist attraction now for the benefit of the few. ”
    ? hmm are you residing in the Dingle area ? Locals are employed in the bars / restaurants / dolphin boats / transport services / shops / accommodation sector

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    Mute Live Long
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    Mar 4th 2016, 9:16 AM

    Ignore Gerald he’s a shill, the sort that would build useless wind turbines in your backyard and justify it because it employed a few people

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    Mute Gerald Horgan
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    Mar 4th 2016, 9:20 AM

    Hmm wind turbines has nothing to do with the article as well :)

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    Mute Johan Bergman
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    Mar 4th 2016, 10:08 AM

    Skellig Rock is the benchmark for anywhere else they film so of course it is relevant. Locals are employed for a few months in crappy go nowhere jobs with crap pay. Zero hour contracts even in the multi-national shopping centers. Many shops are closed for half the year and when they open they bring their workers with them. I’m talking about real jobs or to you have to live in Dublin for that hope. We bend over backwards for people who have no respect for the place because of their so called stature, makes me sick.

    Ceann Sibéal is a beautiful place but it is full of deliverance type hill billies who would do anything to create a money making site for themselves. The local barman in nearby Ballyferriter was proudly telling his punters how he drowned his cats kittens when she wasn’t looking, pure charmer. This is a small town with a crime rate bigger than Killarney. Most people their live in isolation and depression, closed Garda stations and high crime. The only people that benefit are the “golden circle” in certain areas. Nepotism is at it’s height on this peninsula and any job of real value isn’t even advertised but passed on to a family member crony. Take of the rose tinted glasses and see the place for what it is.

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    Mute Gerald Horgan
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    Mar 4th 2016, 10:56 AM

    Wow an article about a film production in the Dingle Peninsula and you start throwing insults about Dingle people .. !! LOL pathetic and very childish
    Dude where do you live ..?
    Myself I am very happy living in a beautiful place :)
    Video : The Dingle Peninsula is a ‘Secret Garden’
    https://vimeo.com/104292750

    LOL have you even visited Ceann Sibeal ? Love to see you playing golf with the so call hill billies :) :)

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    Mute Gerald Horgan
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    Mar 4th 2016, 10:59 AM

    Hey Bergi Dublin is COOL :) :)

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    Mute Pat Gorman
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    Mar 4th 2016, 1:36 PM

    The greatest philosopher of the 20th century the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein described the west of Ireland as the most beautiful part of Europe (He stayed in Connemara in 1947).
    That is SOME compliment… Wittgenstein came from stunningly beautiful Austria.
    .
    He described Dublin and Belfast as ” Grubby unattractive provincial English cities in reality”.
    Everybody in Ireland “Outside The Pale” would agree with Wittgenstein.

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    Mute Pat Gorman
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    Mar 4th 2016, 1:44 PM

    P.S.
    Wittgenstein was LITERALLY “Beyond the Pale” when he acidly criticized Dublin and Belfast.
    .

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    Mute John Mossy Naz Scales
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    Mar 4th 2016, 5:08 PM

    Knew it well b4 christmas lol

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    Mute malcolm smith
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    Mar 4th 2016, 11:19 AM

    The Healy Raes will probably have a bye pass road built around Dingle by then.

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    Mute Pat Gorman
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    Mar 4th 2016, 2:03 PM

    The film crew who filmed “The Quiet Man” in 1951 did not damage Connemara or Mayo.
    The filming of “Moby Dick” did no damage to Youghal or County Cork.
    .
    The Skelligs and Kerry are safe.
    Film crews are trained to pick up the things they drop.
    Unlike a lot of the local Irish.

    1
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