Skellig guides wanted Star Wars film shoot blocked
Documents released by the OPW under freedom of information have shown a high level of worry within the OPW and at local level over the scale of the shoot, which took place in the last week of July.
Just weeks ahead of the shoot, one Skellig guide, Robert Harris, wrote to senior OPW personnel claiming he was “horrified” at aspects of the proposed shoot.
“Whatever dubious advantage in a commercial sense there may be in this project, surely it is outweighed by the potential for irreparable damage and hostile publicity regarding a negligence with regard to proper care for the island,” he said. “Given these considerations, once again, I do wonder whether there is not an outright legal impediment to this going ahead as planned.”
Another Skellig guide, Claire O’Halloran, in early July contacted Frank Shalvey, the principal officer in the National Monuments section.
She wrote: “Is it possible that the excitement of a high-profile project caused this lack of clarity concerning our responsibilities here, or was it due to uninformed external pressure?
“I do not think this project should proceed as currently approved.”
Mr Shalvey replied that he shared her concerns but “the decision has been made”. Ms O’Halloran replied the shoot was “appallingly out of scale” and asked: “Who is putting us under pressure to fail so seriously in our primary responsibility and the trust that we hold, both nationally and internationally to protect this space.”
Just weeks before the shoot, Mr Shalvey wrote that “practically every clause” in the location agreement “has a possible pitfall for us”, adding: “It cedes entirely too much power to the company to decide what takes place on the island, before, during and after filming.”
He suggested declining to sign the agreement altogether while continuing to offer cooperation, adding: “I could see the [Irish] Film Board having a bit of a conniption.”
In a later email, Mr Shalvey again said he had concerns, but wrote: “I am being told this will become a major problem if I don’t sign.”
Additional clauses were added in favour of the OPW.
The film commissioner, Naoise Barry, wrote to the OPW on July 9, stressing: “The Irish Film Board has spent the last 18 months working to convince the film’s producers [redacted] to bring this high-profile project to Ireland, for the future benefit of Irish tourism, the Irish film industry, and the wider Irish economy.”
Edmund Sampson, the location manager appointed by the Irish Film Board on the shoot, was said to be “taken aback” by the level of concern over the shoot.
A meeting on July 15 of stakeholders resulted in “lighter” and scaled-back production specifications for the film.
