"The Catholic answer to Harry Potter": that's what Catholic Exchange called Darby O'Gill and the Good People . . . and it's no wonder!

Written a century ago, these charmingly illustrated Irish tales recount scampish Darby's O'Gill's wild and improbable adventures with fairies, leprechauns, ghosts, a banshee, a headless coachman, and his friend, Brian Connors, the King of the Fairies himself!

What's Catholic about that?

Well, Darby is Catholic, for one thing, as is his shrewish wife Bridget along with their six children. And then there's brave Fr. Cassidy, their parish priest, who is wary of Darby's friendship with the King of the Fairies.

Father claims the king is a friend of Satan, so he resolves to read prayers over the king to banish him into the sea. Before the prayers begin, the king and Fr. Cassidy debate, with noise and much wit, ultimately finding, as do all good Irishmen, that more unites than divides them: "I came yer inemy, " says Fr. Cassidy as he leaves, "but I'm convarted. I'll go back yer friend."

You'll also learn the rest of the story about the war in heaven between the good and bad angels! When the fairies refused to choose sides, St. Michael cast them out of heaven. Down, down they fell until they landed on the Emerald Isle, where they still live in mischief today, never really having chosen good or evil.

Darby O'Gill and the Good People: charming Irish Catholic tales to delight children and grownups alike!