STAR WARS FOR MALIN HEAD, COUNTY DONEGAL?

It is being widely mooted around the internet today that part of the new Star Wars film (Star Wars: Episode VIII) will use Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head in County Donegal, as one of its filming locations.

According to The Irish Times, Star Wars scouts visited the area last October and they go on to report that film crews working with Lucasfilm have already booked out bed & breakasts and holiday rental homes there.

It is also being reported that Malin Head will be used as a location for Luke Skywalker's hideout but this is yet to be confirmed.  Perhaps if it is, the actor who plays him, Mark Hamill, will get the chance to visit a Donegal family who are distant relatives of his (via the Hamill name).

Malin Head would make a fabulous location to film the new Star Wars film.  The scenery there is stunning and although there are small towns and villages dotted about, there are too vast tracts of land with nothing but varying landscapes: from high rocky terrain to green valleys and huge sandy beaches to amazing rocky coastline.

In the words of Darth Vader, "“We would be honoured if you would join us.”

From The Irish Times:
“The makers of Stars Wars blockbusters are to return to Ireland once again after deciding to shoot scenes for the new movie in Co Donegal.
Location scouts secretly visited Ireland’s most northerly point at Malin Head last October.
Minister of State at the Department of Arts Joe McHugh confirmed he was aware that negotiations are at an advanced stage for filming scenes in the area.
“There are still a few things to be sorted with the department including foreshore licenses but I’m confident that will be taken care of,” said Mr McHugh
“This will be a massive opportunity to promote the area globally and . . . I would welcome it ....”
Episode VIII
The latest instalment of the Stars Wars story Episode VII: The Force Awakens, the world’s highest grossing movie, was partially filmed on the Kerry island of Skellig Michael.
The cast and crew are filming the first scenes of Episode VIII in Kerry.
Filming in Co Donegal is expected to last more than a month.
But the tourism spin-offs from the locations to be included in the latest Star Wars epic are expected to be huge.
Already a number of bed and breakfasts and rental homes in the Malin Head area have been booked out by film crews working with Lucasfilm.”

And from entertainment.ie:
“Although much was made of Skellig Michael's prominence in The Force Awakens, it looks like another locale in Ireland will be joining the Star Wars universe.
It's been reported by local newspapers that Malin Head in Donegal is being scouted as a filming location for Star Wars: Episode VIII by Lucasfilm. The follow-up to the global smash, The Force Awakens, is already filming currently in Croatia and has turned the historical district of Dubrovnik into a neon-drenched cityscape.
It's understood that a number of hotels and B&Bs have been block-booked for the month of May, with reports suggesting that extras are due to be cast for scenes filmed in Malin Head. It's already been confirmed that Skellig Michael will feature prominently in Episode VIII, as will Ceann Sibeal.
What's more, a mock-up of Skellig Michael's distinctive stone-huts have been sighted at Pinewood Studios by eagle-eyed fans. It's speculated that Malin Head will be filmed as a location for Luke Skywalker's as-yet unnamed hideout, however nothing's been confirmed as of yet.”