That's Mr Boyd to You I haven't seen this movie in nearly 15 years, and I remembered only the terrifying banshee scaring the hell out of me as a child. So now that I'm 25, I felt like I could overcome my childhood fears and finally give it another go.Watching it now, I realise that this is purely Walt Disney at his best. The special effects wowed me beyond anything I've seen in the last few years (and this came out in 1959). These guys were geniuses. Nowadays when you see effects, you can tell almost immediately they're computer graphics. But with Darby O'Gill, and anything predating the mid 80s, you had to guess how they did these effects. They look brilliant and there's NO computers whatsoever.The story is quite good as are the actors, including Sean Connery in his first movie role ever."Darby O'Gill" is now among my favourite films of all time due to those two things above and the joy that I had watching it all these years later.

jlorenzoar I find it hard to believe you can't always find this movie running on St. Patty's Day! I finally bought it on DVD and can't believe how many people have not seen this flick. Sean Connery is so young and the scenery, songs and effects are so good for the time it still makes me smile and laugh out loud. Of course the characters are classic Disney and the lessons are as relevant and timeless as this movie. We're already planning a screening as part of the St. Patrick's Day events. I really want to watch it tonight, but I'll wait. I'm just about 58 years old now and I'll watch this flick every year as long as I can. Top O the Day to you now!!!

Martin Bradley I first saw this film when I was about 9 years old and it scared the hell out of me, (when the banshee appeared I was under the seat). Over the years, as a self-respecting Irishman, I should have put this cod stage-Oirish nonsense behind me, (as indeed any self-respecting Irishman should put "The Quiet Man" behind him). But the magic this film casts is hard to shake off. I still get misty-eyed every time I see "Darby O'Gill" and wonder is it nostalgia, (for my childhood? for a 'mythological' Ireland or just an Ireland from a happier time?), or is it simply because this is a wonderful film, a great piece of story-telling, beautifully directed by the under-valued Robert Stevenson and splendidly played by a great cast, some of whom weren't Irish at all. (The young Sean Connery at his most handsome and showing the promise of what was to come; Janet Munro as Darby's daughter).The great Albert Sharpe, (the kind of role that comes along once in a lifetime), is Darby, the old gate-keeper about to be put out to pasture by 'his lordship' and Connery is the younger man about to take his place. What plot there is has Darby capturing King Brian of the Leprechauns, (the wonderful Jimmy O'Dea, and the special effects are pretty marvelous, too). It's the kind of yarn that would make a good story around a turf fire of a Winter's night and all the better for downing several glasses of poteen but then we wouldn't have those wonderful effects, (the dancing leprechauns, a banshee out of any child's worst nightmare, the death-coach), and a cast that also includes the magnificent Estelle Winwood as the bad-hearted widow and Kieron Moore as her gombeen of a son. It's a classic and outside of Ireland it really ought to be better known.

John T. Ryan When we think of a film about Ireland and its people, culture and the masterful use of the English language, which is so widely displayed there; we most often think of mostly the same list of films. Starting off with John Ford's THE QUIET MAN (Argosy Productions/Republic, 1952); with John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen. Barry Fitzgerald and an All-Star cast. It's a film which always seems to head everyone's lists; but, we progress into some much grimmer and far more serious of a fare.AND by grimmer and more serious we mean the Irish Revolution, the April Rising and the I.R.A. or Irish Republican Army (no Schultz, not Individual Retirement Account).The first film that comes to mind is another John Ford Masterpiece in THE INFORMER (RKO Radio Pictures, 1935). This was the second adaptation of the novel by Liam O'Flaherty and it starred Victor McLaglen, who garnered Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor for his interpretation of dimwitted giant, Gypo Nolan.Other pictures featuring stories of the Irish Struggle include: ODD MAN OUT (Two Cities Films/General Film Distributions (UK) & Universal Pictures (USA), 1947) with James Mason; SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL (Pennebaker Prod./ Troy Films/United Artists, 1959) with Mr. Jimmy Cagney (Himself!); and the more recent MICHAEL COLLINS (Geffen Pictures/Warner Brothers, 1996) with Liam Neeson and Julia Roberts.(FLASH!! NEWS BULLETIN: We have just got ourselves educated into knowing there are tons more titles involving the Irish Revolt and the I.R.A.; but that's another story, Schultz!) In a real change of moods and genre, we have Walt Disney's DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE (Walt Disney Prod./Buena Vista, 1959). It is a whimsical fantasy based on a series of stories one H.T. Kavanaugh about an old braggart, Darby O'Gill (Albert Sharpe), who claims to have been in contact with the Leprechauns; including having been abducted by them and had audience with their King Brian (Jimmy O'Dea). These fantastic encounters are very well staged and, considering that this was 1959, the Special Effects are outstanding. This was long, long before computer imagery; and at this time a Univac Computer would be probably be as big as half of your house and require enough Air Conditioning for you and all the neighbors on your block! The cast was excellent and featured a lot of Irish Actors from the Abbey Theatre Players in Dublin and one young Scotsman Actor and former Mr. Universe Physique Competitor named Sean Connery in a Pre-007 role. The fine Irish players included: Denis O'Dea, Kieron Moore, J.G. Devlin and Jack McGowran*. Brits Janet Munro, Estelle Winwood, Walter Fitzgerald and Reginald Newell.The story, which alternates some serious day-to-day life in rural Ireland and the struggles of widower, father of the fairest Colleen in the whole County (Miss Janet Munro) and game keeper (I think) for some Lord's Huge Estate; with the excellent depictions of Darby's outlandish, tall tales. And those episodes featuring the Leprechauns and Darby are skillfully constructed so as to always to be at a time when Mr. O'Gill was by himself. Hence, the viewer is left to decide if all of this dealing with "the Little People" was real, or did it occur within the bounds of Darby's highly fertile imagination. It could work well either way.MUCH like all other Disney Pictures' Features, be they Animated or Live Action, DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE had some very scary, even terrifying scenes to contrast to the peaceful, humorous and idyllic storyline that is established throughout the rest of the film.** In this case the spooky sequences are provided with those scenes featuring an animated, yet most effectively disturbing Banshee and the use of that traditional Irish black shrouded Carriage that is said to take the Deceased off to Eternity and his Reward or whatever.NOTE: * Irish Actor, Jack McGowran was trained on the Stage of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and came to international recognition and renown with his role of "Red" Will Danaher's (Victor McLaglen) stooge, Feeney, in THE QUIET MAN.NOTE: ** This use of some brief scaring of the audiences is virtually a Disney hallmark. Just look up and down any list of Disney Films to see; for example BAMBI (his Mother killed by Hunters), SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (the wicked Witches transformation), DUMBO (his Mother's being shackled and caged), LADY AND THE TRAMP (Trusty run down by Horse Drawn Wagon), THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW (that Headless Horseman sequence) and many others. Check 'em out! That's your assignment for our next session.