‘Dark side’ beckons for legions of fans

IN one room lies the fabricated artifacts of a real-life ancient king.

In the other room there is a collection of real-life artifacts from a fabricated ancient empire.

This is the quirky convergence of two international fascinations in the Dublin’s RDS this Easter weekend.

The Tutankhamun — His Tomb and His Treasures exhibit continues in Hall 4 for the third month of its six month stint at the arena.

In the neighbouring Shelbourne Hall, Star Wars fans will gather in their thousands to marvel at relics from the unrivalled cinematic phenomenon.

The Invasion event will include actors from the original movies, including the 3’8” tall Kenny Barker who was the man inside the R2D2 robot for all six big screen films featuring Luke Skywalker’s able assistant.

Stephen J Sansweet, the owner of the world’s largest private collection of Star Wars memorabilia, will also be there.

Organisers have also assembled a life-sized model of the Y-wing fighter space ship for the big children who grew up watching the science fiction franchise.

The Invasion event will open this morning at 10am and continue until Monday. Admission costs €25 for an adult and €15 for a child, a family ticket is available for €70.

There is a charge for autographs and photographs taken with the stars in attendance.