Star Wars' Mark Hamill is saved from dangerous fall on Irish island

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Star Wars actor Mark Hamill a 'goner' had guide not saved him, it's claimed
A witness described how the 63-year-old slipped climbing Skellig Michael
The island is a treacherous but beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site

Published: 08:12 EST, 13 September 2015 | Updated: 16:33 EST, 13 September 2015

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Actor Mark Hamill was saved from falling down treacherous mountainside by a quick thinking guide during filming for the new Star Wars trilogy.

The 63-year-old is reprising his role as Luke Skywalker in the new films, but would have been a 'goner' had he not been caught by a guide when he slipped on the rocks last year, it was claimed.

He was climbing the steps of Skellig Michael, a UNESCO World Heritage Site off the coast of County Kerry in Ireland, when he slipped, The Times reported.

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Hamill was climbing the steps of Ireland's treacherous Skellig Michael (picture) when he slipped, with a witness claiming he would have been a 'goner' had he not been caught by a nearby guide

A witness to his near miss told the paper Hamill would have been a 'goner' had the guide, from the Irish Office of Public Works, not caught him.

The 180m-high Skellig Michael boasts incredible views of an ancient monastery built at its summit and the Atlantic Ocean, however there is a dangerous climb up 600 old and slippery steps to reach it.

Last year the mountain was closed to the public for three days, with an Irish Navy ship anchored nearby to guard it, during filming for the movie.

In recent years several people have fallen to their deaths, such is the nature of the steep and unforgiving terrain.

Mark Hamill, right, reprises his role as Luke Skywalker, left, in the upcoming Star Wars trilogy which is due to be released in December

Hamill is not the only Star Wars actor to suffer misfortune on the set of the massively anticipated films - the first of which is due to be released in December.

In June last year Harrison Ford was airlifted to hospital after the Millennium Falcon spaceship crushed his ankle and broke his leg in an accident on the set.

Crew members hastily pulled him out from underneath the prop and he was stretchered off set and flown to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, which specialises in fractures.

The incident, at the start of an evening shoot in Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, last night, came just days after fans learned the Millennium Falcon ship - piloted by Ford's character Han Solo - would appear in the new film.

Reprising his buccaneering role from the early films for Star Wars: Episode VII, it is believed Ford was about to start a scene involving the 111ft vehicle.

Production was halted for eight weeks while Ford recovered from surgery, which fixed his shattered limb with metal plates.

The cast and crew continued to shoot scenes in the UK without Ford's presence.