Darby O'Gill (Albert Sharpe ) is a fiddle playing caretaker of an Irish governor's estate. Nearing retirement, Michael McBride (Sean Connery) arrives as Darby's replacement. That night, Darby chases a runaway horse to a haunted hilltop and falls down a well. He ends up in the land of the leprechauns, where the diminutive King Brian orders him to play his fiddle. The leprechauns proceed to dance a wild jig before they leave their home and invade the nearby town for a night of revelry. Darby escapes, and King Brian follows him home, where the two engage in an all night drinking binge. In the morning the King is rendered powerless and Darby won't let the King leave until he is granted three wishes. The King tricks Darby into using up two of the wishes, but the third wish is used for uniting the new caretaker and Darby's beautiful daughter in marriage. When his daughter hits her head on a rock and nears death, Darby offers to take her place. He is saved from boarding a terrifying death coach by a grateful King Brian's magic powers. Walt Disney personally toured Ireland and researched the legends, people and customs of the Emerald Isle years before the film was made. The special effects are excellent, and the viewer has no trouble believing the dancing leprechauns are less than two feet tall in this delightful fantasy.