After inheriting his father's title, the young noble Hugh O'Connell is taken hostage by the English viceroy but escapes to lead an uprising.
Writer/director Trey Edward Shults talks about taking audiences on an emotional roller coaster in Waves.
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Title: The Fighting Prince of Donegal (1966)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Peter McEnery | ... | Hugh O'Donnell | |
| Susan Hampshire | ... | Kathleen McSweeney | |
| Tom Adams | ... | Henry O'Neill | |
| Gordon Jackson | ... | Captain Leeds | |
| Norman Wooland | ... | Sir John Perrott | |
| Richard Leech | ... | Phelim O'Toole | |
| Peter Jeffrey | ... | Sergeant | |
| Marie Kean | ... | The Mother | |
| Bill Owen | ... | Officer Powell | |
 |
Peggy Marshall | ... | Princess Ineen |
| Maurice Roëves | ... | Martin | |
| Donal McCann | ... | Sean O'Toole | |
|
|
Fidelma Murphy | ... | Moire |
| John Forbes-Robertson | |||
| Patrick Holt | |||
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
Ireland 1587. Hugh O'Donnell inherits the title of The O'Donnell, the prince of Donegal, and tries to unite Ireland to make war on England. But then Hugh is kidnapped and imprisoned by the Viceroy of Ireland and held ransom for the Clans' good behavior. Hugh must escape prison and the Viceroy's villainous henchman, Captain Leeds, before he can fight. Written by Kathy Li
Taglines:
A fiery young rebel rocks an Empire ! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
1 October 1966 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Fighting Prince of Donegal See more »Filming Locations:
Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UKCompany Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Mark Eden had his first starring role in this film, but during the third day of shooting he had to jump off a horse and run down a hill; he caught his foot in a rabbit hole and broke his ankle. This resulted in him being dropped from the film and losing his five-year contract with Disney. See more »Goofs
The song "O'Donnell Aboo," which is sung at the film's conclusion was not written until the 1840s and refers to events in the Nine Year's War, which took place from 1593 to 1602. The film begins in 1587, prior to the conflict. See more »Alternate Versions
The version shown on television had an opening scene featuring Queen Elizabeth I, but this scene was omitted in the theatrical version. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Certainly Walt Disney took liberties with the story of Hugh O'Donnell in order to make it more appealing to to the teen magazine culture of the 60's but his history is not that far off the mark. Much of the music is based on traditional Irish themes, most notably, "O'Donnell Abu" the marching song of the O'Donnell clan. Interestingly, the main cast though playing Irish figures, were English (McEnery, Hampshire, Adams).
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Red Hugh O'Donnell (1571 - 1602)
In the early 1500's the Irish families and clans were still warring amongst themselves - O'Donnell's own grandfather was imprisoned by Hugh's half-uncle who warred with Hugh's father.
In the mid-1500's some chieftains, most notably, the O'Donnell, were working to unify the Irish clans.
Sir John Perrot (English deputy), in order to check the rising power of the O'Donnells planned to capture Hugh. A ship with a cargo of Spanish wine came into Lough Swilly, and the seventeen year old Red Hugh and two companions were invited on board where Hugh was captured. He was taken to Dublin Castle where he was imprisoned.
Three years later at Christmas time, Hugh, Henry & Art O'Neill escaped. It was their second attempt. Enduring a freezing three-day march across the snow-covered Wicklow Mountains they became separated. Art died of exposure but Hugh, aided by countrymen, made it to his father's castle in Donegal. Hugh lost at least two toes to frostbite and was said to limp after.
After his escape, his father made Hugh "the O'Donnell" and retired to a monastery. In 1598 he, with the O'Neills, defeated the English in the battle of the Yellow Ford. After a defeat at Kinsale a few years later Hugh went to Spain for help. He was received by Philip III but fell ill in 1602, possibly of poisoning at the hand of an English spy. He was 31 and left no heirs. He was buried in Spain but the church no longer exists and his burial site is lost forever.