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The Fighting Prince of Donegal
The Fighting Prince of Donegal
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Michael O'Herlihy
Written by	Robert Westerby,; Robert T. Reilly
Produced by	Walt Disney
Starring	Peter McEnery,; Susan Hampshire,; Tom Adams
Cinematography	Arthur Ibbetson
Edited by	Peter Boita
Music by	George Bruns
Production; company	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Distribution
Release date	October 1, 1966;
Running time	110 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom ; United States
Language	English

The Fighting Prince of Donegal is a 1966 adventure film starring Peter McEnery and Susan Hampshire, based on the novel Red Hugh: Prince of Donegal by Robert T. Reilly. It was released by the Buena Vista Distribution Company. The film was shot entirely at and near Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.^[1]^[2]

Plot

Set in the late 1580s, the film very loosely follows the real-life exploits of the 16th-century Irish prince Hugh Roe "Red Hugh" O'Donnell. The story begins when Hugh's father, the Chief of the Name, dies, leaving his son as Chief of Clan O'Donnell. With his accession to the throne, an Irish prophecy is seemingly fulfilled which promises independence from Elizabethan and English rule. In response, the Queen's Lord Lieutenant abducts him and imprisons him in Dublin Castle as a hostage for the Clan's good behavior. After a daring escape, he flies across Ireland with the sons of Hugh Roe O'Neill.

The O'Donnell lords see this occurrence as the opportunity to strike back at the foreigners by force, but Hugh convinces them the right plan is to band together with the other clans of the island, and bargain for their freedom from a position of strength. As he prepares for battle, O'Donnell also courts the beautiful Kathleen McSweeney, to further augment the clans of Ireland.

Cast

Peter McEnery as Hugh O'Donnell
Susan Hampshire as Kathleen McSweeney
Andrew Keir as Lord McSweeney
Tom Adams as Henry O'Neill
Gordon Jackson as Captain Leeds
Norman Wooland as Sir John Perrott
Richard Leech as Phelim O'Toole
Peter Jeffrey as Sergeant
Marie Kean as Lady Ineen O'Donnell
Bill Owen as Officer Powell
Maurice Roëves as Martin
Donal McCann as Sean O'Toole

Historical accuracy

Hugh O'Neill was renamed Henry O'Neill for the film.^[2] It is generally believed that O'Neill had an equal, if not more important, role in the establishment of the Irish confederacy.^[3]^[4] O'Donnell's girlfriend in the film, Kathleen McSweeney,^[2] did not exist. In reality he was betrothed to Hugh O'Neill's daughter Rose by 1587,^[5]^[6] and they married in December 1592.^[7]^[8] O'Donnell's father dies at the beginning of the film, allowing O'Donnell to succeed him.^[2] In reality he abdicated in favour of O'Donnell in April 1592^[9] and died in 1600 during his retirement.^[10]

Reception

Critical reception was split on Fighting Prince between those who thought it clichéd and oversimplified (Variety and Time) and those who accepted it as unpretentious fun (the New York Herald Tribune and The New York Times).

The film did not do well at the box office.^[11]

Comic book adaption

Gold Key: Walt Disney Presents The Fighting Prince of Donegal (January 1967)^[12]

Home media

The Fighting Prince Of Donegal was released on VHS in October 1986.^[13] It was later subsequently released in DVD format as a Disney Movie Club Exclusive on February 13, 2007.