Well Motherhutters,
Things have finally gotten back to some amount of normality here at Blabba HQ following on from the withdrawal symptoms of Star Wars Celebration Orlando! While at Celebration I had the opportunity to sit and chat with some truly wonderful people, we even had a little Irish takeover!
Tourism Ireland Booth
During some “downtime” I had the pleasure of sitting down with the amazing folks at the Tourism Ireland Booth which encompassed many of Ireland’s premier tourism attractions, with links to A Galaxy Far Far Away of course.
Sitting down for a chat with me was Caroline Boland from The Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance, Darragh O’Drisceoil from Tourism Ireland, Denise Henry from Visit Inishowen and our good friends over at The Moorings Guesthouse in Pauline and Gerard Kennedy who looked after our very own Queen of Droids while she was visiting the Emerald Isle.
We talked about all things Star Wars from our beautiful Wild Atlantic Way to some behind the scenes exclusives from the master storyteller that is Gerard Kennedy. For those of you who don’t know, The Moorings is where the cast/crew call home during their time in Ireland and a certain Mr Skywalker has been known to pull a pint of the black stuff from time to time.
Orlando Comes To Ireland
The Booth attracted quite an audience as The Jedi Step’s and our wonderful hospitality provided awesome company and a platform for some epic selfies, which included a rather large gathering of Rey’s at the steps to Ahch-To, and a surprise visit from yours truly as Director Krennic.
Rey’s of Sunshine
The Tourism Ireland Booth Crew
Denise, Caroline & Darragh soaking up the Rey’s
Director Krennic stopped by for a visit
As if that wasn’t enough I had the opportunity of interviewing two friends of Blabba who are members of The Emerald Garrison in Michael Pierce (Ko-Toh-Yah Master Plo) and the kick ass Rey that is Grace O’Carroll. I sat with both to discuss all things Cosplay and Trooping, whilst also comparing SWCO to SWCE from a European point of view.
Superstar Artists
As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of Star Wars Art! I was excited to interview two of the most well known artists showcasing their talents at SWCO. Rob Kaz who is one of my favourite artists and such an awesome guy, Malcolm Tween who is a UK based artist and an absolute gentleman, his piece proved ever so popular and it was great to see his Booth so busy.
I have to give a massive shoutout to the genius that is Paul Shipper. Paul was responsible for all the wonderful artwork lining the badges, posters and programmes at the convention which you can check out here. Paul was kind enough to sign my programme and badges and even gave me his last Grand Admiral Thrawn card which meant the world to me!
The Wonderful Paul Shipper
The Gentleman Malcolm Tween
Malcolm’s X-Wing Piece
The Super Talented Rob Kaz
Meeting The Director (Johnson that is)
I had the pleasure of meeting Rian Johnson who popped by to say hello while we queued overnight for The Last Jedi Panel. Rian couldn’t have been kinder and more patient as he got around to sign autographs and take selfies with EVERY fan in the building.
*Interviews*
You can check out our full interviews with Tourism Ireland, Rob Kaz, Malcolm Tween and Michael/Grace Here:
(Featuring Numerous Irish Accents)
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