Darby O'Gill and The Little People

If you get lost in Ireland, it has nothing to do with the rather ambiguous Irish road signs.

Nor is it the fault of the typically Irish directions, you'll be given should you stop to ask the way.  Here is an example: "Go right round left here and then right just past the cottage that was pink until last year."

It's the Little People. They get you lost for mischief. Ask any Irish person about the Little People and they will roll their eyes heavenward. These little people will wreak havoc if they can.

The remedy for getting lost is to take your jacket off, turn it inside out and put it back on again.

There are many stories about humans trying to catching Leprechauns – as the Little People are often known. The rule is if you catch a leprechaun, they have to grant you three wishes.

One such story of leprechaun capture concerns Darby O'Gill, a widower with a young daughter, Katie.

Like many Irish people, he delights in the use of language and telling stories and often regales his neighbours in the small Irish village where he lives. One of his reoccurring themes is the Little People he meets up on the nearby hill, called Knocknasheega.

One night, a little "drink taken",  he falls down a well on Knocknasheega Hill and actually manages to capture the King Of The Leprechauns, who has to grant him three wishes. The first problem is Darby can only think of one wish, so he decides to keep the king captive until he can decide on two more. Then, when he gets back to the village – due to his history of tall stories - no one will believe he's captured the King of the Leprechauns.

The whole enchanting story is captured in the Disney movie, "Darby O'Gill And The Little People",  which features a very young Sean Connery (later James Bond) as the O'Gill's lodger and would-be suitor for his daughter.  

© 2007  Joseph Donegal and The-Best-Of-Ireland.com