Darby O'Gill & the Good People - Softcover

Kavanagh, Herminie Templeton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0966670108 ISBN 13: 9780966670103

Publisher: One Faithful Harp Pub Co, 1998

Synopsis

Originally published in the U.S. in 1903 and long out of print, this is the original story on which Walt Disney based his 1959 movie, Darby O'Gill and the Little People, well-known and much-beloved the world over.

Set in turn-of-the-century Ireland, the book is a marvelous collection of tales that tell the story of Darby O'Gill and the Good People, or fairies and leprechauns. And the book is as much about the adventures of Darby O'Gill as it is about Brian Connors, King of the Good People, that lovable rascal.

The book tells of Darby's unwilling sojourn among the fairies and his friendship with King Brian, and of Darby's famous meeting with the Leprechaun in which he matches wits with that granter of three wishes. It tells the fantastic story of how the Good People were expelled from heaven and banished to earth, and why they chose Ireland as their home. It relates the hilarious adventures of King Brian when he is caught out after cock-crow and loses his powers--he is mistaken for a baby and almost christened, and is rescued and entertained by the local ballad-maker and his family until sundown. And finally, it recounts the spectacular story of how Darby does battle and matches wit with the banshee and her ghosts, with the aid of King Brian and the Good People.

About this title

From the Publisher:

We have added an editor's preface and introduction, and have slightly revised the text to make it more consistent with Mrs. Kavanagh's later work, The Ashes of Old Wishes. The slight revision consists of confining the dialectical spellings to the dialogue, and of omitting one theological detail in the original which would suggest that human beings who have had a spell put on them by the fairies are eternally damned, in order to support the idea that human beings have free will, which is consistent with Mrs. Kavanagh's later book, specifically her short story, Patrick of the Bells.

From the Back Cover:

What a rare and marvelous gem! Herminie Kavanagh's Darby O'Gill and the Good People takes its place alongside C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia and Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows as among this century's greatest works of moral imagination. There's more poetry and magic here than in all the new fiction that will be released this year. Anyone who knows or wants to know the heart of the Irish should read this book.-- James Bemis, Los Angeles Daily News columnist

Children (12 years and up) and adults will love the story of our hero, Darby O'Gill, that daring Tipperary man, and the Good People (also known as fairies and leprechauns) in turn-of-the-century Ireland. Long out of print, this is the original story on which the 1959 Walt Disney movie was based, much beloved the world over.

This collection of tales includes the story of Darby's fantastic sojourn among the fairies, in which he cleverly escapes their mountain home, yet wins the friendship of King Brian Connors of the Good People. You'll be fascinated by the story of how the Good People were expelled from heaven and banished to earth, and why they choose Ireland as their home. You'll laugh at the hilarious adventures of King Brian when he is caught out after cock-crow and becomes as helpless as a baby. And in the last chapter, perhaps the most thrilling of the book, Darby does battle and matches wits with the banshee and the ghosts--with the aid of King Brian and the Good People:

Twas then Darby just nearly gave up for lost. He felt his eyes growing dim and his limbs numb. There was no air coming into his lungs so that he knew the black spell was on him, and all that was left for him to do was to sink down in the road and then to die.

But at that minute there floated from a great way off the faint cry of a voice the despairing man knew well.

Keep up your heart, Darby O'Gill, cried Brian Connors; we're coming to resky you, and from over the fields a wild cheer followed them words.

Faugh-a-balla--clear the way! sprang the shrill war-cry of a thousand of the Good People.

So fast came the King's fairy army that the great cheer was still echoing among the trees when the gold crown of Brian Connors sparkled up from beside the knowledgeable man's knees. At that the persecuted man, sobbing with joy, knelt down in the muddy road to shake hands with his friend, the master of the Good People.

So welcome to the world of Darby O'Gill--a world of great fun, good people, and grand laughter.

About this edition

• Publisher: One Faithful Harp Pub Co
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0966670108
• ISBN 13: 9780966670103
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 196