Ballyferriter reaches for the Star (Wars) with new féile
THE launch of the latest episode of Star Wars will be celebrated in Ballyferriter over the coming days and throughout the weekend when the inaugural Féile Star Wars will be held in the shadow of Ceann Sibéal where scenes for the film were shot in May 2016.
Locals in the Ballyferriter area have come to realise that the launch of ‘Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi’ could well result in a flood of film fans, eager to walk the same hallowed ground as their screen idols Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill (Rey and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars language). Rather than being swamped by this flood, locals reckon they might as well try to benefit from it and a first step in this direction is the festival, which will give them hands-on experience of what the whole Star Wars tourism phenomenon is all about.
Féile Star Wars, which starts on this Thursday and continues until Sunday, December 17, includes guided visits to key film locations in Fearann and Ceann Sibéal where the Jedi’s highly secretive beehive hut temple of AhchTo was located. Mixed in with the Jedi lore there’ll be some more down to (planet) earth lore about local warrior Piaras Feirtéar and visits to real beehive huts in Fahan on Saturday.
‘Cosplay’ (dressing up as film characters and playing the part) will be a central feature of the festival so Star Wars fans, young and old are being encouraged to don a costume or wield a lightsaber to transport Baile an Fheirtéaraigh from the Dingle Pensinsula to a galaxy far, far away.
In a more practiced vein, Star Wars re-enactors The Emerald Garrison will be in action during the féile waving lightsabres and throwing shapes that will only make sense to the Star Wars faithful but they should be very entertaining nonetheless.
The Emerald Garrison, who are Ireland’s biggest and longest running Star Wars ‘costuming club’, will be joined by the team behind Ireland’s dedicated Star Wars podcast Blabba the Hutt, including founder Jamie Hickey and his American counterpart BB-K8 who will be podcasting to the world during the event.
In Louis Mulcahy’s pottery in Gráig they’ll be throwing shapes of another kind – clay replicas of Ahch-To’s native Porg, a kind of a cuddly sea bird inspired by the puffins on Skellig Michael and expected to steal the show in The Last Jedi.
As for the film itself – it will first be seen in Dingle’s Phoenix Cinema at 1pm on Thursday at a special screening for those who were involved in the filming. At 5pm the film will be screened for the public, followed by a party with mince pies and sweets for children, the Emerald Garrison in full Star Wars regalia, and Dingle gin and tonic for adults who need to steady themselves after all the excitement. This will be followed by another showing of the film at 8pm and in the meantime David O’Donoghue will have his ‘sound wagon’ in action outside the Phoenix, playing Star Wars theme music and whatever else might fit in with the mood of the occasion.
For details of festival events look up www.facebook.com/CeannSibealviii or visit http://dingle-peninsula.ie/home/ whats-happening/item/feile-star-warsbaileFailing all that, just ring up Breege Granville on 087 1346566 for the inside track on what’s happening.