Visitors flock to isle that plays big role in ‘The Last Jedi’
It’s time to return to Ahch-To in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” — Jedi Master Luke Skywalker’s hideaway planet. Skellig Michael, an island off the coast of County Kerry in the southwest of Ireland, served as a filming location for the planet. The world got a glimpse of the stunning island when the character Rey arrived there in the final moments of 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” but will see more of the site in “The Last Jedi” as she learns the ways of the Force from the exiled Jedi.
The reality of Skellig Michael may not be on the same galactic scale as the events unfolding on movie theater screens, but it will still take visitors’ breath away.
Rising 714 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, the UNESCO World Heritage site served as a Gaelic Christian monastic settlement from the sixth or eighth century — varying accounts on its founding exist — to the late 12th century. Now, boat tours run to the island from late March to early October each year. Those interested in visiting are advised to book well in advance because demand is high.
The hourlong boat journey from the coastal village of Portmagee to the island can be a rough ride, and those who take it still have to follow a winding path around the island, before climbing hundreds of rock steps to reach the U-shaped valley where Rey found Luke in “The Force Awakens.”
Visitors must venture further to find the remains of the monastery on a terrace shelf 600 feet above sea level. It consists of six beehive huts, two oratories, a later medieval church and a graveyard — all intact and in remarkably good shape.
The rock steps can be slippery — Ireland’s weather is very variable — and those who don’t like heights may get a little nervous during the walk to the top.
“The Last Jedi” fans won’t find the film’s beloved porgs on Skellig Michael, but are likely to encounter the seabirds that inspired them. Between March and early August, a massive colony of puffins flocks to the island for breeding season, and they aren’t shy about wandering close to humans.
Gerard Kennedy, who owns The Moorings Guesthouse and Restaurant in Portmagee, recalls how Lucasfilm claimed to be shooting a documentary when reps from the film company
initially sought accommodations while scouting the island for “The Force Awakens.”
However, he was tipped off when they asked for enough rooms for 180 people and permission to use the guesthouse’s common sitting room as a preproduction space.
“They had all the screens lined up along here and a big board with all these keys hanging, with names on the keys," Kennedy tells the Daily News.
He even noticed one very iconic name — “Luke Skywalker.”
Filming began in July 2014, and Kennedy highlights the care that the Lucasfilm cast and crew took in using the site.
“They had total respect for the village, they had total respect for the rock out there,” he tells The News.
Even stars Mark Hamill — who plays Luke — and Daisy Ridley — who took on the role of Rey — were unassuming during their time in Kerry. When The Moorings’ restaurant was busy, they offered to wait and have their meals when the regular patrons had finished.
“They didn’t look for any attention or any special treatment,” recalls Kennedy. “They just fitted in with what we were doing.”
There was one exception — Hamill famously stepped behind the bar and pulled a pint of Guinness when the crew returned to
shoot “The Last