History Film / TheFightingPrinceOfDonegal

''The Fighting Prince of Donegal'' is a 1966 [[Creator/WaltDisneyPictures Walt Disney Productions]] historical adventure film directed by Michael [=O'Herlihy=] and starring Creator/PeterMcEnery, Susan Hampshire, Tom Adams, Andrew Keir, Gordon Jackson and Richard Leech.

* MartialArtsStaff: Inmates of the Dublin prison in which Hugh is detained are forced into staff fights in the courtyard, and Leeds provokes Hugh in a staff duel. When it becomes clear for him that he can't win the fight, Leeds rushes to grab a [[BladeOnAStick halberd]].

In response, Sir John Perrott (the Queen's Lord Deputy) abducts Hugh and imprisons him in UsefulNotes/{{Dublin}} Castle as a hostage for the Clan's good behavior. Hugh must then escape before he is sent to a certain death at the Tower of London and rally the Irish clans to send a message of rebellion to the Queen.

In response, Sir John Perrott (the Queen's Lord Deputy) abducts Hugh, imprisons him in UsefulNotes/{{Dublin}} Castle as a hostage for the Clan's good behavior. Hugh must then escape before he is sent to a certain death at the Tower of London and rally the Irish clans to send a message of rebellion to the Queen.

* StormingTheCastle: The FinalBattle consists in the retaking of the O'Donnell castle by a coalition of clans led by Hugh.

** Captain Leeds threatens to torture Phelim O'Toole, then hang him if Hugh, Henry and Martin are not recaptured. It's the last scene in which O'Toole is seen. Who knows if he isn't dead by the time the messengers Hugh would have likely sent to Dublin to free him in exchange for Leeds after retaking his castle?

* AnAxeToGrind: Hugh uses an axe when leading his troops to retake his castle.

* SimpleStaff: Inmates of the Dublin prison in which Hugh is detained are forced into staff fights in the courtyard, and Leeds provokes Hugh in a staff duel. When it becomes clear for him that he can't win the fight, Leeds rushes to grab a [[BladeOnAStick halberd]].

In response, Sir John Perrott (the Queen's Lord Deputy) abducts Hugh, imprisons him in Dublin Castle as a hostage for the Clan's good behavior. Hugh must then escape before he is sent to a certain death at the Tower of London and rally the Irish clans to send a message of rebellion to the Queen.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Captain Leeds threatens to torture Phelim O'Toole, then hang him if Hugh, Henry and Martin are not recaptured. It's the last scene in which O'Toole is seen. Who knows if he isn't dead by the time the messengers Hugh would have likely sent to Dublin to free him in exchange for Leeds after retaking his castle?

* BadassBeard: Lord [=McSweeney=] is a reliable SupportingLeader, and sports a greying black beard.

The film got a ComicBookAdaptation by Gold Key Comics in 1967, ''Walt Disney Presents: The Fighting Prince of Donegal''.

* TheGhost: Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethI is mentioned quite a few times, but she's never seen. (She does briefly appear at the very beginning in the comic book adaptation, where she discusses with her advisers the possibility of Hugh leading a rebellion against her, and reluctantly orders his capture.)
* GreatEscape: While he is detained in a dungeon in Dublin, Hugh seeks to escape by any mean, and eventually pulls it off with his second attempt.

* ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption: Hugh's liege lords want war against the English without negociations. Hugh refuses.

* TheGhost: Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethI is mentioned quite a few times, but she's never seen.

* TheAlcatraz: Hugh's second prison is more of a dungeon, and living conditions there are worse than in his first cell and there is no shaft/window this time around. He has to bribe Martin, an Irish prison guard, to escape, through an underwater way leading to the castle's mole.

* CallToAgriculture: Martin (the Irish prison guard) dreams of buying himself a farm.

* FightingIrish: Some punches are exchanged over a girl between Henry O'Neill and said girl's man at the end, but everyone's still happy.

* AgeLift: The film is set in 1587. The real Hugh Roe O'Donnell was ''15'' that year. It's safe to say no one even pretends he is a teen in this film -- Peter [=McEnery=] was 25/26 when playing him.

In response, Sir John Perrott (the Queen's Lord Deputy) abducts Hugh, imprisons him in Dublin Castle as a hostage for the Clan's good behavior. Hugh must then escape and rally the Irish clans to send a message of rebellion to the Queen before he is sent to a certain death at the Tower of London.

* {{Oireland}}: Besides historical inaccuracies, a hell lot of Irish names in the movie start by either "O'-" or "Mc-".

It is based on the novel ''Red Hugh: Prince of Donegal'' by Robert T. Reilly and loosely follows the real-life exploits of late 16th century UsefulNotes/{{Ir|eland}}ish prince [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Roe_O%27Donnell "Red" Hugh Roe O'Donnell]] ([=McEnery=]). The story begins in 1587, when Hugh's father, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_of_the_Name Chief of the Name]], dies, leaving his son as chief of the O'Donnell clan. It seemingly fulfills an Irish [[TheProphecy prophecy]] which promises freedom from English rule, when Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethI had large parts of Ireland occupied.

* INeedAFreakingDrink: Lord [=McSweeney=] has a flask of alcohol on him, just in case. He funnily drinks some of it before the battle starts.