I've heard this word more than once in my life but never took the time to look up the definition. "Donnybrook: a usually public quarrel or dispute"...It's an Irish word that I knew all along, I just didn't realize it!
You see, we love the John Wayne / Maureen O'Hara movie "The Quiet Man". Set in the 1920's, John Wayne plays Sean Thornton, a quintessential American gone back to Ireland to connect with his roots. He marries Mary Kate Danaher, who pridefully warns him, “I have a fearsome temper; we Danahers are a fighting people.” The highlight of the film is an epic donnybrook pitting Thornton against Mary Kate’s brother, “Red” Will Danaher; it is a fight over cultural and moral understandings, and as the fisticuffs spill through a meadow and into the towns and pubs, the townspeople enthusiastically join in. Other communities send spectators and even the priests and bishops look on and make discreet wagers."
If you have not seen the film, don't judge the clip below too harshly...as I said earlier, the fight is over conflicting culture and understanding.
It is a warm, romantic film set in an idealized Irish community and it is a true pleasure to watch.
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