If you’ve seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens, you will undoubtedly recognize Skellig Michael. You know, that place where that guy appeared? The guy wearing the robe? It was a brief (but vital) scene,
Skellig Michael is an island off the tippy southwestern coast of Ireland. The 54-acre spot o’land is about 12 miles from the Irish fishing village of Portmagee, where the cast and crew of Force Awakens stayed during filming.
Bloomberg reports that Portmagee is ramping up for a serious tourism boom, spurred by fans desperate for another connection to that make-believe world in a galaxy far, far away. Some Portmagee businesses have already begun cashing in.
At the Moorings Guesthouse, Restaurant and Bridge Bar, owner Gerard Kennedy offers a two-night Star Wars package, complete with a tour of the film’s pre-production site, a chance to pull a pint at the same bar frequented by the cast, and a version of a special, local Star Wars t-shirt once donned by Luke Skywalker himself. (The t-shirt says “May the Craic be with you”—“craic,” naturally, being a local word for “a good time.”) The whole thing will set you back 149 euros ($160).
If Star Wars doesn’t seem like a solid economic development plan—well, you haven’t met Star Wars fans.