Tourism Ireland has launched the latest phase of its Star Wars campaign ‘trilogy’.

It is targeting fans of the science fiction franchise around the world.

It involves a specially-commissioned 'behind-the-scenes' film, created during filming here of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2015 and 2016.

Tourism Ireland commissioned Lucasfilm, the company which produced Star Wars: The Last Jedi, to create the short piece.

In it, Star Wars director Rian Johnson and actors Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley praise the special location they chose for filming.

Hamill praises Ireland’s beauty, saying: "It's like a fairy-tale world - you just can't believe your eyes".

Describing Ireland, director Rian Johnson says: "It's a gorgeous place. I feel very, very lucky to be able to get it on film".

Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons adds: "We are extremely grateful to Lucasfilm and the Star Wars team for their tremendous generosity in agreeing to make this wonderful behind-the-scenes film, to help us promote the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland.

"Since its release, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been breaking box office records everywhere and Tourism Ireland is capitalising on this positive exposure, highlighting the Star Wars connection with Ireland and bringing the magnificent scenery of the Wild Atlantic Way to the attention of millions of people everywhere."

Tourism Ireland’s Star Wars campaign is rolling out in 15 markets: Britain, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Nordic region, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India and the Gulf countries.

Filming on Skellig Michael for Star Wars: The Last Jedi took place over two days in 2015, before moving to the mainland.

To continue filming on location here, the crew returned in 2016 and built replicas of Skellig Michael’s sixth-century monastic ‘beehive’ huts on the mainland.