#StarWars - Star Wars film crews are set to return to Skellig Michael next month - but the news has ruffled feathers among environmentalists.
As TheJournal.ie reports, shooting for the future 'Episode VIII', following last summer's filming on the Co Kerry island for JJ Abrams' upcoming The Force Unleashed, is currently planned for mid-September.
But that's at the peak of the breeding season for two species, Manx shearwaters and storm petrels, that have vulnerable colonies on the protected Unesco World Heritage Site.
Ireland's national trust An Taisce has expressed its concern over the latest film shoot – and any potential increase in visitors it may encourage among the dedicated Star Wars fanbase – when "existing levels of visitor activity are already at the level of or slightly in excess of what would be best for a site of this sensitivity, and even with current restrictions, wear and tear is visible."
An Taisce has questioned the Minister for Arts over the legal status of the film shoot, and whether the proper environmental screening has been carried out, with the minister's department saying a reply "will issue in due course".
TheJournal.ie has more on the story HERE.
