Fit for a queen: Stars Wars fan unveils his greatest creation in Cork

Nuri Albakri, the inspiration behind this weekend's Feel the Force festival in Dunmanway, devoted a staggering 84 hours to the work of art

 Ruthann Sheahan dressed as Queen Amidala for the Feel the Force festival which takes place over the bank holiday weekend in Dunmanway, Co. Cork. Picture: David Creedon

“I said I would provide a queen for the festival and thank God I did.”

One of the country's biggest Star Wars fans has unveiled his greatest creation yet after replicating Queen Amidala's throne from Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.

Nuri Albakri, the inspiration behind this weekend's Feel the Force festival in Dunmanway, Cork, devoted a staggering 84 hours to the work of art. It will take pride of place at Atkins Hall as all things Star Wars come to town.

Nuri, who loves recreating props and costumes associated with the movie franchise, is the proud owner of one of Ireland’s most impressive Star Wars collections. 
The chef channelled Padmé Amidala (née Naberrie) — the teenage queen of the fictional planet Naboo for his latest masterpiece.

Nuri, who has been constructing toys from a young age when his family were unable to afford them in his native Malaysia, says the throne is the largest prop he has created to date. It cost around €700 to produce and weighs in the region of 120kg.

“It takes four people to carry it,” Nuri laughed. “There is quite a bit of stress because I was doing it on my own and there was no blueprint. I tried to do the best I could. One of the guys working for Pinewood Studios told me it looked the same as in the movie so I am very happy about that. We have plans to move it to Comic Con after the festival.

 "This is the biggest prop I’ve made from all the toys I’ve ever put together. It took a lot of hours and stress but I learned from the university of YouTube how to treat wood as well as sand and do fillers. I’m lucky to have a big kitchen as I’m not sure where we would be able to keep the chair otherwise.” 

Nuri Abarki sits on Queen Amidala's throne.

The Malaysian native worked hard to make the throne a functional piece of furniture.

“You have to build the frame first and make sure it’s sturdy as you never know who will want to sit on it. It takes the whole day to build a frame like that. It has to be done right because a lot of people are going to want to try it out.” 

Local support

Nuri says the support of the people of Dunmanway helped him to realise his passions

“I’ve been living in Ireland since 2005 and the people around here are so good. They were the ones who saw what I did and put me out there. I really appreciate what they have done for me. This is not an easy thing to pull off but it’s what happens when good and creative people come together.” 

There has been a considerable buzz surrounding the 50-year-old in recent weeks.

“I’m planning to collect my passport and the embassy asked me if I could come and pick it up in person. They had seen my picture in the newspaper and said that everyone was very proud of me. To me, this is very big as there aren’t a lot of well-known Malaysian people in Ireland. When the embassy found out about what I was doing they were really supportive."

The most rewarding part for Nuri is making children smile.

“Every single day I have a kid giving me a high five. There’s going to be lots of kids. I can’t wait to put on the Star Wars costume because it makes the kids so happy to see the characters. I will definitely be smiling inside the helmet.”

Local woman Ruthann Sheahan will model a replica of Queen Amidala's gown to complement Nuri’s craftsmanship. 

The outfit was made by West Cork movie costume designer Gwen McGuirk. The passion project took three months in total to complete.

Costume designer Gwen McGuirk makes final adjustments while fitting Queen Amidala's dress to Ruthann Sheahan in preparation for the Feel the Force festival which takes place over the bank holiday weekend in Dunmanway, Co Cork.  Picture: David Creedon

“I’m still doing the finishing touches,” Gwen laughed. “Some days I put in eight or 10 hours. It’s a great challenge because the costume designers working on these films have a whole department behind them. In my case, it was just me but it was still really nice to do.

"When costume designers are working on film sets their pieces might only get shown for a couple of seconds. Often it’s a case of blink and you’ll miss it so it’s great to have a platform like this where so many people will have the chance to see it. 

"Queen Amidala might even get out of her throne and walk around and meet festival goers which means people will have the chance to see the costume up close.” 

The festival will be peppered with Star Wars themed activities including photo booth opportunities, a screening of the short film Stormtroopers by Micheal Fitzgerald and vendors, among other attractions. Local schools have got in on the act after creating props for the event with many businesses decorating their windows with a Star Wars theme. There will also be a number of workshops taking place throughout the town. Donations from the event will go to the Co-Action hub in Dunmanway.

To find out more about events taking place as part of the Feel the Force festival visit here