The Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

My brother Pat was the first to visit Ireland when we were growing up in the Bronx.  It was a memorable trip for the whole family even though we didn't go.

Pat was given a list of family to see, and assorted gifts to present to the uncles, aunts and cousins from the "Yanks across the pond." He visited them all and of course the cousins wanted to entertain him and took him out to visit the local establishment for refreshment, a bar called Longnancy's in Armagh, Northern Ireland.

The drink of choice was Guinness and Pat was familiar with the health benefits of that beverage so he made sure he had a least a pint before departing and getting a good night's rest.  He would be travelling for the next few days and wanted to be sure he saw all he was supposed to see and met with all the key family before heading off to see the other side of the family.

When he left Armagh he was headed to Cavan in the Republic of Ireland.When he was sufficiently away from the family, he stopped to get something to eat and drink at another local establishment.Pat wasn't there very long when a stranger came up to him in the bar and asked him about his travels and family and of course the United States.  Before the man left, he noticed that Pat was rubbing his index finger a bit in a place where he had a wart.  The man asked him what was bothering him and Pat said he had a wart on his finger for years and that from time to time it itches him.  The man took Pat's hand and gently rubbed the wart and told Pat that the wart wouldn't be bothering him anymore. Pat thought it was odd but chalked it up to the idiosyncrasies of Ireland.

Once the man left Pat's side, the bartender came over to Pat and asked him about their conversation.Pat shared their discussion and mentioned the fact that the man assured him that a wart that was on his hand wouldn't be bothering him anymore.  With that, the bartender told Pat that the man he was chatting with was a "seventh son of a seventh son" and that he had the power of the cure.  This ancient Celtic Lore holds that a seventh son of a seventh son has the power to heal people by just touching them.

Needless to say, Pat didn't know what that meant to him, but from that next day forward, Pat has never had a wart.