‘I wish we could have shot the entire Star Wars in Ireland'

IRELAND’S starring role in the latest Star Wars: The Last Jedi is to be celebrated in the final phase of Tourism Ireland’s latest Star Wars campaign, targeting fans of the science fiction franchise around the world. 

Mark Hamill aka Luke Skywalker, who stayed in West Cork while the film was being shot in Brow Head in 2016, praises Ireland’s beauty in the new campaign.

‘To come back to Ireland was a great treat for all of us because the beauty of that country is unmatched. You get up in the morning and see vistas where I was sure it was a special effect,’ said Mark.

‘The people are so nice. They make you feel like family, they were so welcoming, so accommodating and so friendly. We felt like we were home. I mean, having lived in New York for many, may years I wasn’t sure how to take it.’

The actor also urged anyone planning a vacation to go to Ireland.

‘You’ll never find another place like it. I wish we could have shot the entire film there.’

Tourism Ireland’s Star Wars campaign is rolling out in 15 markets and it will share this latest campaign with its 20,000 international media contacts and via social media, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

‘Since its release, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been breaking box office records everywhere. Tourism Ireland has been taking every opportunity to capitalise on the publicity around the film and our aim is to help whet peoples’ appetites to come and visit the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland,’ said Niall Gibbons of Tourism Ireland.

This latest ad campaign is the latest of Tourism Ireland’s campaign, designed to highlight Ireland as a key Star Wars location. 

It kicked off in December with a fun publicity stunt in which Tourism Ireland launched the first tourism campaign in space, sending a billboard ad 33kms into the stratosphere.