Darby O'Gill and the Little People

In the small Irish town of Rathcullen, County Kerry, Darby O'Gill (Albert Sharpe) is the aging Caretaker of Lord Fitzpatrick's (Walter Fitzgerald) estate, where he lives in the nearby Gatehouse, with his lovely, almost grown, daughter Katie (Janet Munro). But Darby spends most of his time in the town pub, regaling his friends with tales of his attempts to catch the Leprechauns, in particular, their King, Brian Connors (Jimmy O'Dea). Lord Fitzpatrick decides that Darby is past his prime as a laborer; so he decides to retire Darby on half-pay, and give him and Katie another cottage to live in, rent-free. He also decides to bring into Darby's old position a new younger man from Dublin named Michael McBride (Sean Connery). Darby begs Michael not to tell Katie that he, Darby, is being replaced, to which Michael reluctantly agrees. That very night, Darby is captured by the Leprechauns. The odyssey begins when he is tripped down the old ruined well on top of the fairy mountain Knocknasheega, by his horse, Cleopatra (who is actually a Pooka). Once captured, Darby discovered that King Brian brought him into the Leprechaun Court as a "favor" to Darby, that he might avoid having to make any shameful admission to Katie about losing his job. But Darby has no desire to remain the King's prisoner/guest "forever", and thus be separated from Katie. So Darby tricks all the Leprechauns into going off onto a fox hunt by playing "The Fox Chase" for them on a beautiful Stradivarius violin, loaned to him by King Brian. The Leprechauns, after a wild dance, mount their tiny white horses and leave for a hunt in the night, through a large crack in the mountainside wall which King Brian magically creates. Darby then escapes through this after the last of the Leprechauns ride out. However, Darby also attempts to steal some of the Leprechauns' treasure, but it all falls out through a hole in his coat pocket and he's left with nothing. Later, King Brian comes to fetch Darby, angry for being made a fool of. Another battle of wits ensues and Darby traps the Leprechaun King by getting him so drunk that he doesn't notice the sunrise which strips him of his powers until the next sunset. So trapped, he is forced to grant Darby three wishes before he can return home. Darby wisely makes his first wish be that King Brian not return to Knocknasheega, but to remain at his beck and call for a fortnight (two weeks), giving him time to think of two other, equally wise wishes. King Brian is furious, but forced to comply. But the wily Leprechaun King does manage to trick Darby into (partially) wasting his second wish, by appearing only as a rabbit in Darby's game bag, causing Darby unwittingly to say to Michael; "I wish you could see him (the King)". King Brian does meet Darby halfway however, by appearing to both Michael and Katie in his true form in their dreams. Darby decides that he wants to use his third and last wish to ensure Katie's happiness. King Brian says to Darby that what Katie probably wants most of all is a "good, steady lad with temperate ways". Someone, in short, like Michael. After a rocky beginning, Katie and Michael begin to show signs of growing affection for each other. Katie believes Michael is merely seasonal help, as her father could not bring himself to break the news of his retirement (and their imminent move). However, Michael has an arrogant rival in Pony Sugrue (Kieron Moore), the town bully with his eyes on both Michael's job and Katie. Katie, angered at finding out the truth about her father's retirement from Pony's unpleasantly meddlesome mother, (the Widow Sheelah Sugrue (Estelle Winwood)), injures herself fatally in a fall on Knocknasheega while trying to catch Cleopatra at night. The banshee appears, heralding Katie's death and sending the cóiste-bodhar, a spectral coach driven by a dullahan, to carry her soul off to the land of the dead. Desperate, Darby elects to use his final wish to die, and go in his daughter's place. King Brian is deeply saddened at Darby's wish, but agrees and grants it. But once Darby is on his way to the next world, King Brian reappears in the Death Coach, and tricks Darby into making a final fourth wish ("wishing" that his friend could join him in the afterlife). This negates all the previous wishes, and spares Darby's life. So Darby is saved, and King Brian has (literally) the last laugh in their running battle of wits. Katie's fever has broken and she and Michael reveal their love for each other. Michael also fights Pony Sugrue at the pub; getting his just revenge for Pony's attempt to get him fired by clubbing him on the head, dragging him to the Main House on the estate, and pouring whiskey all over him to make him appear drunken and incompetent. Michael soundly thrashes Pony and knocks him cold, with several well-placed punches; much to the delight of Darby and the other pub patrons and staff. Finally, Darby and Michael depart arm-in-arm, joining Katie outside in the wagon. And off go the three of them for a happy ending, with Michael and Katie singing a final duet together of "Pretty Irish Girl" (see below).