Is this the home of Ireland’s newest religion?

FOR centuries Skellig Michael was a refuge and place of worship for monks but could it now become a place of pilgrimage for a new faith, the Jedi?

While to some this might seem like a ludicrous – or even sacrilegious – suggestion the 2016 Census findings on Religion provide it with some basis.

According to the Census results, 2,050 Irish people classed themselves as ‘Jedi Knight’ –the lightsabre wielding warrior monks of the blockbuster Star Wars science fiction film franchise – when asked to state their religion.

Granted, many people likely put this down as a joke but the fact is that ‘Jedi Knight’ is now an officially recognised religion in Ireland and it has more Irish adherents than the Jewish, Sikh or Mormon faiths.

What does this have to do with Skellig Michael, I hear you ask?

Well, most people will be aware that the world famous island, and the ancient monastery it’s home to, were used as locations for 2015’s ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ and the eighth film in the franchise ‘The Last Jedi’, which is due for release in December.

In the two films, Skellig Michael portrays the planet Ahch-To which is, apparently, home to the first Jedi Temple and is the location where the fictional Jedi order was born.

Worldwide close to 177,000 people have declared themselves Jedi in various censuses and while for most it’s a joke or protest many thousands do treat ‘Jediism’ as a true religion and follow its originally fictional code.