Skellig Michael (also known as Great Skellig) is a towering sea crag/island rising from the Atlantic Ocean, nearly 12 km west off the Kerry coast.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) featured scenes filmed on Skellig Michael. Boat trips to and from the island have become extremely popular as tourists flock to see where the movies were filmed and to admire the region’s natural beauty.
Ring of Kerry Skellig Ring
Kilkee Kilrush Shannon
Listowel
Ballyheigue Bay
Tralee Castleisland Dingle Killorglin
Blasket Islands
Valentia Island
Portmagee Waterville Ballinskelligs Caherdaniel Glengarriff CORK Bantry Sneem Dingle Bay
Cahersiveen Kells
Glenbeigh KERRY Kenmare Killarney
6. The Ring of Kerry and Skellig Ring
A scene from Star Wars, filmed on Skellig Michael The Cliffs of Moher
In 2009, the Cliffs of Moher were included in scenes from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The cliffs themselves have long been one of Ireland’s most popular tourist destinations. They stretch for 80 km and are among the highest in the country, ranging from 120–214 m in height.
The Cliffs of Moher 394
Go to YouTube and search for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Behind the scenes in Ireland’ (1:08). Write down two reasons why Skellig Micheal was chosen to film scenes for the Star Wars movies.
Thinking back to what you learned in Chapter 11: The Sea, what process of erosion helped shape the Cliffs of Moher? What feature of coastal erosion can you see in this photo?