Into the West (1992)

David Kelly: Grandfather

Photos 

Quotes 

• Ossie : What's his name?

  Grandfather : Um, he's called Tír na nÓg.

  Ossie : What does it mean?

  Grandfather : It's the land of eternal youth.

  Ossie : But why's he called that?

  Grandfather : He's from Tir na nÓg, the land under the sea.

• Grandfather : Oh, me and my stupid stories.

• Grandfather : [about the horse]  He's from Tír na nÓg, a land over the sea.

  [to the people gathered around the fire] 

  Grandfather : Now then, Oisin was the most handsome traveller that ever lived and the princess told him that he was too handsome to ever grow old. She took him away over the sea to the Land of Eternal Youth. And there they stayed for a thousand years. But Oisin was a traveller. He missed his caravan. He missed all his old pals. The princess told him if he ever went back he would die, because he was a thousand years old. But the princess couldn't bear to see Oisin sad, so she gave him her great white horse and told him he must never get off its back. When Oisin returned to his caravan, the people swarmed around him, rejoicing at the legendary hero's return. But by God! A terrible thing happened. The saddle broke and Oisin fell down on the ground in front of their eyes. Here is what they saw: they saw the most handsome man on Earth get older and older, and greyer and greyer, and his hair grew down to his waist and his fingernails grew three inches long, and his bones began to crumble and snap! And then Oisin disintegrated before their eyes and turned into dust. A little heap of ashes on the ground was all that was left of him.

• Ossie : What did the princess look like?

  Grandfather : Close your eyes. Now do you see a beautiful woman?

  Ossie : Yea.

  Grandfather : Well, that's her. That's the beautiful princess.

• Grandfather : [lifting Ossie down from the horse's back]  Come on. Time for bed.

  Ossie : I don't want to get old.

  Grandfather : Ah, you won't get old Ossie. Not yet.