Town Wants Star Wars: Episode VIII Beehive Huts at Ceann Sibéal to Become a Tourist Attraction

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Ceann Sibéal in Ireland

 

It seems that even the remains of Star Wars sets can be great for tourism anywhere in the world. A small town in Ireland hopes to find a way turn the nearly completed Jedi temple set into a tourist attraction once the Star Wars: Episode VIII shoot ends.  Read on for more.

 

Many fans, young and old have been flocking to Ceann Sibéal in Ireland to catch a tiny glimpse of the mysterious ancient Jedi temple being built for Star Wars: Episode VIII. Recently, fans have been able to see a ton of photos from the ‘Episode VIII’ ancient Jedi temple set that dots the Ceann Sibéal coastline. The location is being used as the intergalactic equal of the Skellig Michael location seen at the end of ‘The Force Awakens’.

 

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One town believes it would be a ‘big boom’ for tourism if the site could be retained as a tourist attraction. The possibility seems to be a little far-fetched at this time but it wouldn’t be the only Star Wars set that doubles as an attraction.

 

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The remains of Tosche Station in Tunisia, Africa.

 

Star Wars fans may be more familiar with the planet Tatooine than the country of Tunisia. Five out of the seven Star Wars films were partially filmed the in the small North Africa country. The good thing is that many of the sets are still intact and are visited by many vacation goers most days of the year, weather permitting of course. You can check out the remains of Luke Skywalker’s home and Tosche Station from Star Wars: A New Hope, wander around the slave quarters seen in ‘The Phantom Menace’ and even see the site where the famous duel between Qui-Gon and Darth Maul was filmed.

 

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Although, not your typical Disney World or MGM studio tour, the Tunisian people recognize that there’s more value in just leaving the props alone, than removing them. Efforts to save the Star Wars sets from being slowly swallowed up by Tunisian sand remain ongoing. However, just to be able to take a walk around an area that a Jedi once inhabited can be very exhilarating.

 

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It seems that even the remains of a Star Wars set can be great for tourism in any part of the world. One has to wonder if tourism in Ceann Sibéal would be effected if they kept the bee-hive set structures intact when the filming ends.

 

The Tralee Town Manager Micheal Scanell, responded to a local resident named Cllr Norma Foley who raised the question at a recent Municipal District monthly meeting.

The Fianna Fáil councillor said one of the county’s “great regrets” was the levelling of the village constructed in Dún Chaoin to film Ryan’s Daughter in the early 1970s.

She asked what would happen to the beehive huts at Ceann Sibéal once filming for Star Wars had concluded.

Cllr Foley said the Beehive Huts had “huge potential” from a tourism perspective.

She asked could this potential be harvested in some way – either in Tralee or elsewhere.

Responding to Cllr Foley’s query, Tralee Town Manager Michael Scanell said the possibility of the beehive huts being retained as a tourist attraction was “slim”.

He added however a “pro-active approach” would be taken in exploring options in relation to the matter.

 

Ireland might be famous for its pubs, but it offers much better views than the bottom of the pint glass. Hopefully, one day the town can find a way to save the Bee-Hive hut structures once filming is complete and make an attraction available for all to visit. Until then, keep your fingers crossed for the day when you may just be able to visit that galaxy, far, far away…

 

Would you visit the remains of the set at Ceann Sibéal? Discuss it below or in The Cantina forum.

 

May the Force be with you.

 

Source: Radiokerry.ie

 

Special thanks to Terence Mulvey for the heads up on the report.

 

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6 thoughts on “Town Wants Star Wars: Episode VIII Beehive Huts at Ceann Sibéal to Become a Tourist Attraction

  • May 11, 2016 at 6:53 pm
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    They did it for LOTR so why not. I’m not sure how true this is but I’ve read that the Lars homestead from ANH is almost gone. I think that it is great that cinema could be a catalyst for the preservation for historical sights around the world.

    • May 11, 2016 at 11:29 pm
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      Fans refurbished the Lars igloo dome 4 years ago. And the set dressing in the hotel pit that was used as the Lars pit courtyard was left up (sans moisture vaporator props) The paint on them has eroded though. Usually these sets are only built to last long enough for filming to occur. It may be a safety issue being built next to a cliff like that, they’d have to reinforce it & have a maintenance plan.

  • May 11, 2016 at 9:35 pm
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    I know that they completely left decading the lars farm sets sadly.

  • May 12, 2016 at 1:39 am
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    It doesn’t look like this set was designed to be around for very long, considering it is built on what looks like plywood on top of scaffolding, as well as the wooden support structures. Not to mention the cliff. Seems like it could be pretty dangerous, especially as the supporting structures age. Keeping it around and having tourists walk around on it doesn’t really seem feasible unless a considerable effort was made to make the structure more permanent and safe. All that said, I think it would be a blast to visit the site!

  • May 12, 2016 at 6:02 am
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    Because when you speak with a travel agent, The first nation that comes to mind is fucking Tunisia.

  • May 12, 2016 at 11:48 am
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    Looking at Qui-Gon and Darth Maul’s, but since when do lightsabers cast shadows? 😉

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