Skelligs like Disneyland

An Taisce claim Star Wars has ruined the UNESCO site

HERITAGE group An Taisce has once again waded into the ongoing row about Star Wars’ filming on Skellig Michael, claiming the island’s role in the blockbuster franchise has turned it into a ‘Disneyesque theme site.’

An Taisce say the surge in visitors to the site is unsustainable and Tourism Ireland’s efforts to re-brand the island as a destination for film fans could threaten the historic island’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The group is now urging newly installed Culture Minister Josepha Madigan to intervene and carry out a new report on the impact filming has had on the island.

The number of people visiting the island has surged – from 12,560 in 2015 to 16,755 this year – but the Office of Public Works say this is not entirely linked with Skellig Michael’s role in Star Wars.

The OPW say the increase is mainly due to better weather which allowed boatmen access the island more often during the last two visiting seasons.

In addition, while the number of visitors has soared, it is still well below the maximum cap of 24,800 visitors per season allowed by the OPW and previously approved by UNESCO.

An Taisce is convinced that Star Wars is the primary factor in the surge in visitors and it wants film related promotion of the island stopped.

“Every time the word Skellig is mentioned, just that branding of the Disney franchise is now inextricably entangled with it,” said Ian Lumley of An Taisce.

“It has brought about a re-branding and change of the image and perception of the site,” he said.

“The spiritual, cultural and historical significance of the island, the basis on which it was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site is being swamped by that commercial re-branding,” he added.