Walt Disney is undoubtedly an American hero, but are you aware of the incredible connection he had to Ireland? Let’s dive into it!

Walt Disney was a creative genius, innovator, and one of the most respected entrepreneurs in American history. But there’s a little-known aspect to his familial history that would interest our beloved Disney Fanatics, and that is his connection to Ireland.

Disney’s Irish roots played more of a part in his success than one might think, per latest reports.

Related: 57 Years After His Death, We Remember & Celebrate Walt Disney

Walt Disney’s History Goes From Kilkenny to Disneyland

The historian behind the Disney100: The Exhibition, Paula Sigman-Lowery, shares much insight into the history behind Walt Disney. She explains, “The Disney family history starts in France, with a little detour into England and then landing in Ireland.”

The family name was initially D’Isgny, which was then anglicized to Disney when the family moved to England in the 11th century. Then, in the 1600s, Walt Disney’s direct ancestors settled in Ireland, where they remained for two centuries.

The year 1834 saw the winds of change blowing for the Disney family. Walt Disney’s paternal grandparents, Mary Richardson, and Kepple Elias Disney, would emigrate to North America with their families. They were children at the time.

Mary Richardson and Kepple Elias Disney’s eldest son, Elias Disney, was Walt and Roy Disney’s father. These two brothers were the co-founders of the Walt Disney Company.

Related: On the Event of Disney100, Critics Feel Walt Disney Would Have “Cringed” at Recent Strategies

Though Walt Disney was American through and through, he stayed connected to his roots. Paula Sigman-Lowery explains, “Although Walt was born in Chicago, fully American, he was very close to his Irish roots.” She continues,”[Walt] loved hearing literature and fairy stories read to him by his mother when he was a child, and the Irish stories really, really resonated with him.”

In fact, in the 1940s and 50s, he even made multiple trips to Ireland to conduct research for his film Darby O’Gill and the Little People.

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Ireland Gets its Own Disney Castle

1989 saw Ireland getting its own Disney castle when Roy E Disney bought Coolmain Castle in County Cork. Roy E. Disney frequented the country, but the Irish stayed level-headed about his visits.

Kilkenny historian and tour guide Frank Kavanagh remembers Roy E Disney’s trips. “He came to Ireland quite regularly,” he said. “He always took part in the yacht races down there. But we’re Irish – we don’t make a big deal of these things. We just said: ‘Ah yeah, we know Mr Disney. He’s a nice guy.'”

So there you have it!

Did you know about the Ireland-Disney connection? Let us know in the comments!