Weekend with the Jedi in Ballyferriter

BALLYFERRITER is planning a weekend of Star Wars-themed events to coincide with the first screenings of the latest episode of Disney’s long-running inter-galactic saga on December 14.

Ballyferriter attracted a steady stream of Star Wars followers during the early summer of 2016 when part of the latest episode ‘The Last Jedi’ was filmed on Ceann Sibéal and nearby areas. At the time spectators were only able to gaze from afar at the closely-guarded action, but over the coming Star Wars weekend they’ll be able to go on guided tours to the hilltop site that served as a ‘stand-in’ for Skellig Mhichíl. The mock beehive huts, spaceships and other film-set paraphenalia are now long gone but the Star Wars faithful will get a rare chance to walk the hallowed ground and enjoy a refreshing blast of Atlantic air.

A programme of events for the festival, which is to start on Friday, December 15, is currently being compiled and is expected to be launched next week. One firm plan at this stage is to bring the pupils of Ballyferriter school – who enjoyed a visit from Chewbacca during the filming – to see the film in the Phoenix when it is screened there on December 14.

There’s every chance that Star Wars fanatics will travel to Dingle to see the film in the closest cinema on planet earth to the Jedi temple of ‘Ahch-To’, so locals who need to be sure of a seat might want to call into the Phoenix to pre-book their tickets.