A Celtic Seventh Son..

Truth is Stranger than Fiction….

When the time came for Mrs. Doyle to give birth to her seventh child, her husband Dan and his six brothers and indeed his six other children, all boys, gathered around the house in great anticipation and hightened expectation.   For if his wife Mary gave birth to a boy, (with the help of God as Dan had been saying for the previous eight months), he would surely be born with ‘the gift’.

When the old woman helping in the birth opened the bedroom window and screamed at the top of her lungs “Tis a boy”, the celebrations began in earnest.   As most of the family made their way to Murphy’s Pub to ‘wet the baby’s head’, Dan walked slowly down to the local Church and prayed.  

He had heard that the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son – a line of fourteen boys unbroken by the birth of a girl – on some rare occasions could be blessed with the gift of healing.   They could also be haunted by an evil disposition.    He prayed for all that he was worth that things would not come to that.................

As he began to make his way slowly back home, he began shivering.   It was not that the night was cold; it was just that he was as nervous as he had been when his first son was born.    He prayed as he walked that the child and Mary his wife were both healthy................

He entered the house quietly and removed his heavy boots.   As he climbed the stairs to the bedroom he passed Mrs. Hegarty the midwife on her way down.    “Don’t worry yourself one little bit Mr. Doyle, sure Mary is as strong as a horse and her and the young one are both fine”.    As he entered the bedroom he was quite shocked to see Mary sitting up in bed cuddling the newborn baby.

“Are you well sweetheart?” he asked quietly.   “Fine Dan, just fine.    Have a look at your new son, and if I have any say in the matter, your last one”.   She began to laugh and Dan joined in until the child began to cry.    “And what are we going to call him Mary?” he asked her.    “I think that since you would not have any of the other boys named Daniel after yourself, all I ask is that he be called Daniel.   Not Dan: for as sure as God if I ever hear him being called Dan or indeed him answering to that  name,  I’ll  crucify  the one responsible”.    Dan could tell that Mary was serious.

And so it was that when they all attended the Church ten days later and Daniel Ignatius Doyle was welcomed and Christened into the Catholic Church.    Now although I said earlier that Dan was a temperate man, he did allow himself to have a couple of pints of Guinness that very day...................

Oddly enough, and Dan took it to be an omen for good, the week preceding the Baptism, it had rained consistently with a gale blowing most of the day and night.   However, as they left the house for the church that morning, the sky miraculously cleared and the sun shone on them.    There was not even a breath of wind....

Young Daniel proved to be a healthy and very bright baby from day one.   He caused Mary not one moment’s anxiety and sure enough, or at least Dan was sure that he noticed it, was showing signs of ‘the gift’.

When he was three years old Mrs. Doyle noticed that when the child was in the back garden he could actually control the animals merely by looking at them.   He never seemed to say anything to them but they seemed to be doing his bidding without any words of command being given.    He was also able to imitate the birds and by calling them with his weak whistle they would come from the surrounding trees and hedgerows to alight on the grass close to him.

At school he showed great promise and as his teacher said, he had great potential.   He had already passed two of his older brothers in learning and the teacher reckoned that it would not be long before he overtook the others as well.

Daniel was a quiet boy and although he attended church when told to by his mother, he was not religious in a ‘religious’ sort of way.   He was more of a nature person...

It was not until his tenth birthday that it was discovered that he did indeed possess ‘the gift’.    Mrs. Doyle had laid on a small party for him and a few of his friends and during the rough and tumble among the group of boys, one cracked his head against the outside wall and badly cut the side of his head.    When Mrs. Doyle heard the scream she ran to get something to put on the wound.    She had seen the cut and the blood but when she returned with some bandages, there was no sign of either.

When she asked what had happened, one of the boys quietly said “Daniel did the magic and it all went away”.    Mrs. Doyle said nothing to Daniel  but  later  that  night she passed on what had happened to Dan.

A few weeks later, whilst cutting some hedgerows near the house, Dan caught his hand on some barbed wire and got a nasty deep cut on the palm of his hand.    He put a cloth on it and returned to the house.    When Mary saw it, she quietly said “Why not ask Daniel to help?”    

She called him down from upstairs where he was doing his homework and quietly said “Daniel, I know what you did on your birthday to your friend’s head, would you try to do it on your father’s hand?”    “Surely” he replied and went up to Dan.

“Daddy” he said “pick a cabbage leaf from the garden and bring it to me”.    Dan did not hesitate but did what he was told.    On his return, Daniel folded it in the shape of a cross and placed it over the wound.   He then replaced the bandage.   “Don’t touch it until after tea and it will be OK Dad” he said as he returned up the stairs.

Sure enough and you can believe me or not, as Mary poured out the tea for Dan no more than an hour later, he removed the bandage.   The cabbage leaf was no longer there and there was not a sign of any wound – not even a scar.

Although Mary and Dan had known of ‘the gift’ for many years, it was the first time that they had ever seen it work.   Neither said anything – they just nodded to each other.................

Over the coming years, Daniel saw to most of the family’s ailments.   The word spread and close neighbours would also come to him with their problems.    Daniel never refused to see anyone.    Many were cured immediately with others requiring a second or third visit.

He never accepted money from anyone and when people began to arrive each evening from distant parts of Ireland to be cured, Dan was forced to restrict meeting them to three days each week.    After seeing more than six people Daniel was so tired that he would sleep for ten hours after a session...............

When he was eighteen, someone informed Radio Eireann (the Irish Radio Service) people up in Dublin and of course they sent down a crew to record some of the healings.    When Daniel told one of his ‘patients’ who was suffering from very bad styes in his eyes to go to the garden and pick seven gooseberry thorns, the radio interviewer began to laugh. When he saw Daniel point each one at the styes until all seven had been used and then telling the patient to bury the thorns in the garden, the interviewer began to laugh hysterically.    It was Dan who ordered them to leave the house and never to return.

It is a pity really for next morning the man with the styes returned completely cured....

When the item was broadcast on radio, hundreds if not thousands complained to the authorities about the way they had ridiculed Daniel.    A more serious result was that now that the whole country knew of him, thousands would descend on his home from far and wide.   

 Many had incurable diseases including terminal cancers most of whom had been given short times to live.   All medical treatment had failed and although many were clutching at straws they saw Daniel as their final hope.

Such scenes frightened Daniel for he had not known about such sufferings throughout his young life (he had not yet reached his twenty-first birthday).    The stress was beginning to affect his health.

However, the ‘final straw that broke the camel’s back’ was when one evening as the family sat down to tea they heard a loud banging on the front door.    It was his mother who answered it to find a young woman with a baby in arms.

“Daniel must help the baby”   the woman cried.  Daniel heard her and immediately went to see what was going on.

The woman handed him the baby and as he looked at the child he could see in his mind’s eye that the child was close to death.    The woman cried “The doctors say that there is nothing they can do for him, it’s his little heart” she spoke through her tears. Daniel took the child to the kitchen telling everyone to remain in the front room.

He prayed over the child and it was then that the decision came to him.   He would take the child’s place...........................

He placed his hand on the child’s chest and concentrated harder than he had ever done in his life.    He suddenly saw a flash of light and was forced to put the child down as he clutched his own chest.   As he cried out the others ran into the kitchen to find the child crying at the top of his lungs whilst Daniel sat on the floor clutching his chest.

A doctor was called and as he examined Daniel, his life passed away.    He had suffered a severe heart attack.......................

Oddly enough, when the doctor examined the child he could find nothing whatsoever wrong with the child’s heart and this was confirmed by the specialists later.   They called it a miracle........

The strangest fact about the whole affair was that Daniel died at seven minutes past seven, on the seventh day of July – the seventh month – nineteen hundred and seventy seven – 7.7pm, 7.7.77................................

------------Mike-------------- 

A Little Light Relief......

Humpy Soodelum and the Ragman’s Ball....

It was one twilight evening in early December 1899, with the weather being kind, that Kieran Grace and Humpy Soodelum were sitting on the steps outside the block of tenement flats in Ashe Street up off the top of Sackville Street, Dublin in an area known as "The Liberties".

"Did ye hear that?" Kieran asked. "And what would that be now Kieran?" Humpy asked in reply. "Why, all the swanks and the Lords and Ladies are planning a big celebration for the New Year. They are really going to town with the Lord Mayor and all the big noises up at  the Castle all having a knees-up. And do you know what Humpy?" he asked "Naw, go on Kieran, what?" Humpy replied. "The fecken gobshites are charging it all down to the rates. We’re paying for it, that’s bloody what" Kieran added with bitterness in his voice.

With that Humpy scratched his head in puzzlement. "Sure, I never paid any rates in me life" he protested. "Well, taxes then" Kieran was obviously annoyed. "None of them neither" Humpy continued. "You know what Humpy?" Kieran asked "but you are as thick as the sandwiches my mother used to make, and that’s bloodywell saying something".

Humpy, or Humphrey as he was Christened went into deep thought. He did in fact have a hump on his back caused by years of heavy lifting and carrying in the Docks on the North Wall of the Liffey but he had not worked there for many years. He did not take offence at the name his friends called him, as he liked to think that it was short for Humphrey and not the hump. In fact no one meant the slightest offence to him as he was well liked in the city.

He was a Rag and Bone man and pushed his cart throughout the streets of Dublin from dawn to dusk most days. He made enough money to pay his rent for the one room he lived in alone and enough food to keep himself above the starvation level.

Kieran on the other hand was a ‘man of learning’ as people used to say but he suffered with his nerves. It was said that he even tried to commit suicide by gassing himself while he was at Trinity College University but the gas meter ran out of money and all he ended up doing was making himself very sick.  Since his old widowed mother died, he too had a single room in the same block of flats as Humpy. He was not wealthy but had sufficient funds to enable him to avoid work.

Humpy again scratched his head and slowly spoke "So Kieran, are you thinking that some of us poor people might get invited to the big do up at the Castle?" "For the love of God Humpy; all I am saying is that all the rich bastards up there will be enjoying themselves at our expense while we all huddle together in front of a small fire if we are lucky listening to the church-bells on Saint Patrick’s making a racket. Why don’t we organise something ourselves. It’s the  start of a new century" Kieran was in full flow and there was no stopping him.

"You know something Kieran?" Humpy asked. "And what’s that?" Kieran answered with little or no interest in his voice. "I always kept it a secret Kieran, but I was born on the 1^stJanuary and I’ll be fifty this year" Humpy said with a smile through his missing teeth.

"Jesus, Mary and good Saint Joseph" Kieran said and almost added, ‘I thought you were nearer seventy’. However, instead he added as if a brainwave had just struck him "That’s it Humpy, we will have our own bloody Ball in competition with the swanks up at the Lord Mayor’s. You can invite all the other Ragmen as your guests. And you know something Humpy, we can call it after you - ‘The Ragman’s Ball’ ".

That’s great Kieran; I’ve got a few quid saved so I will chip that in". "I’ll put in a few bob myself, I haven’t much but I will do the organising". With that they said their good nights and made their way back to their little rooms.

That night, before going to bed, Kieran made his first attempt at an official notice announcing the forthcoming ball. He had some good ideas for the whole affair.

.....Grand  Celebration..... 

RAGMAN’S  BALL

 Fabulous Party to Celebrate the

New Century and Humpy Soodelum’s birthday.

31^st December 1899.........tickets  2/6..

Next morning Kieran was up at the crack of dawn and waiting outside the flats. He was looking for one man in particular.

At the stroke of seven, Big John Lavin came out into the street. He was a giant of a man. "Off to work early John?" asked Kieran. "Indeed Kieran" answered John "we are doing the canal run halfway across the country".

"That’s what I was going to ask you about John" Kieran lowered his voice to a whisper. "We are organising a big do on New Year’s Eve John, celebrating a load of things and we will need a couple of barrels of stout". John, who had been working for the Guinness Brewery for ten years, knew only too well what Kieran meant. "It’ll cost you a pound a barrel Kieran, that’s the best I can do" John whispered back. "If you get someone down by the canal at about nine this morning, I’ll let them have a couple, you can pay me Friday". 

Kieran rubbed his hands together and just said "Gameball John, I’ll be there meself with Humpy’s barrow and a couple of sacks. God bless you John". With that, John went on his way and Kieran went up and banged on Humpy’s door.

Humpy opened the door and when he saw who it was, he invited him in. Kieran noticed the smell of frying rashers of bacon and without saying anything, Humpy poured him a mug of tea and gave him a sandwich.

"Well Humpy" Kieran smiled his best smile. "I’ve started the ball rolling but I need a hand this morning with your cart and a couple of sacks. See me downstairs at eight, ok.?"   Having finished the sandwich in a couple of bites and the tea in two gulps, he left the room.

Kieran still had a few things to do. He made his way to the street market in Moore Street and looked along the stalls for another contact. He suddenly saw her engrossed in some shady deal or other. When the other person left, Kieran made his way up to her.

"Hello Liza, how’s business". "Ticking over Mr. Grace, and what would be your pleasure?"  Kieran lowered his voice "Four or five bottles of the  hard stuff Lisa". Lisa looked around her then added "How soon Mr. Grace, it’s a bit hard to come by lately". "Not ‘till the end of the month Lisa, but it is important," Kieran added. "Ah sure that’s no bother Mr. Grace, it will give it a chance to mature in the bottles.  It won’t be ten year old Jameson, more like ten days old" she began to laugh so hard, that everyone in the street turned their heads. Kieran made his way back to the flats.

Humpy was waiting for him with his cart. Kieran noticed that there were indeed some sacks and other old clothes in the back. And so away they walked towards the west-side of Dublin following the canal. About three miles further on, they pushed the cart up onto the canal bank under some trees. It was only half-eight. They waited and sure enough, at a minute or two either side of nine, they saw the brewery barge coming towards them. Without even slowing down, John Lavin lifted a barrel from the deck of the barge and hoisted it onto the bank, quickly followed by another. The barge did not even slow down..............

Just as fast, the sacks were put over the barrels and it took all their joint strengths to get each one into the cart. They quietly sauntered home with Humpy calling out his trade call "Any auld rags, bones or bottles". Kieran was pretending that he was not with Humpy but was in fact looking after his investment.

Two or three days later, the ‘Notice’ was complete and when Humpy saw it, he actually began to cry.

Christmas was only ten days away now but once the news of the Ball hit the streets, the neighbours began to take to the idea. There were so many offers from different people of drink and food that both Kieran’s and Humpy’s little rooms were stacked to the ceilings with all sorts of preserves, cakes, drinks of all sorts and smoked ham. Excitement became too much for Humpy and he spent most of  his time crying about the generosity of those who made donations.

In fact, Christmas took second stage to the Ball and it came and went without too much merriment. Tickets were being sold like hot cakes and those who could not afford the charge were quietly slipped a couple of tickets with no questions asked. "I’ll tell you what Humpy" Kieran said to Humpy with only three days to go, "but there’s more people who want to come to your ‘do’ than want to go to the Mayor’s Ball. It should be a grand night".

The illegal whiskey, poteen, had arrived from Liza who only asked for four tickets instead of payment. Two more barrels of stout had been supplied by Lavin for similar payment. All the leftover ham from one of the local butchers was likewise subscribed and a local baker promised to supply sufficient bread to feed the expected multitude.

Father James had given the Church Hall free of charge and already, some of the men were preparing it with all sorts of streamers and coloured crepe paper. It looked marvellous. Kieran had also visited several bars and recruited a couple of  fiddlers  and  banjo  players. Things were looking ‘grand’ as Humpy was heard to say.

On New Year’s Eve, at five o’clock in the afternoon, people were already queuing outside the hall but the doors would not be opened until sharp at seven. Humpy had been at the poteen most of the day and was already very unsteady on his feet. Kieran was stone cold sober and was putting the finishing touches to the preparations. There was no sign of his nerves and he was controlling things like an army general.

At seven o’clock sharp, the doors were opened and people began to stream in. Most had done their best and were wearing their finest clothes. Many had been to the Pawn-Broker’s shop early so that they could wear their best clothes. Liza Boland arrived wearing an exquisite ballroom gown and a white ermine stole. "Stole indeed," said Father James "I bet I hear all about it at next Saturday’s confession". It was a wonderful turn-out and everyone was  of their best behaviour.

By half seven, most of the men had drunk about six pints of stout and several glasses of whiskey. Now that they had their money’s worth, Kieran was happy that they would slow down. He then mounted the stage to make an announcement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Reverend Father and honoured guests" he began. "Who the fecken hell are they?" asked Humpy. There was a chorus of "You and your ladyfriend, you gobshite".

Kieran continued. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, we are here tonight  not only to welcome in the New Year, the new century or any other matter. We are here to honour a famous Dublin commercial traveller. He may not have a fine pony and trap to do his travelling, he has to use ‘Shank's pony’ and push his old cart. He may not deal in finery and does not earn a fortune, he is in fact Dublin’s finest  – he deals in Bones and Rags, yes Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you none other than the man himself, Humphrey Soodelum".

The cheering went on for a good five minutes and John Lavin and one of his brewery friends lifted Humpy up onto their shoulders and marched him around the hall. All Humpy said was "Sure it was only me poor old mother, Lord Rest her, that used to call me that".

Any youngsters who had managed to get into the hall were now sent home and the serious business of the night began. The food was laid out and everyone began to make up for lost time. In the corner the various ‘band’ members were playing for all they were worth. Liza Boland was doing a jig in the centre of the hall. Big John Lavin was singing with all his might.

The ‘do’ had gone along for a couple of hours without a single harsh word being spoken until during a break in the music, Biddy O’Brien from Hawkins Street, who was as drunk as a newt, started to shout in the centre of the hall.

Her husband Mickey was trying to quieten her down but Biddy gave him the sight of her fist. "Yez are all fecken hypocrites" she shouted, "there’s hardly a one of you ever gave our guest of honour a  good word for  the past ten years, yez are all hypocrites".

Humpy went up to her merely to tell her everything was all right, but Mickey thought he was going to hit her. He pushed Humpy away but because he was drunk, he fell to the floor. With that Big John Levin slapped Mickey with the flat of his hand. Mickey hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.

Liza Boland walked straight up to Biddy and hit her on the head with an empty beer bottle. There was blood everywhere. Biddy fell to the floor on top of Mickey. Father James, realising what was happening, made a fast retreat out the side door and was not seen again that night.

Fights were breaking out all over the hall with arguments leading to further punch-ups. Father James had called an ambulance when he saw Biddy’s head before he left. In about ten minutes the ambulance arrived quickly followed by three police officers, one a Sergeant, from the local Constabulary. They had a quick look in the ambulance at Biddy’s head and whilst one of the officers stayed with her the Sergeant and the other constable entered the hall.

The information that the police were on their way reached the crowd long before they actually arrived inside. Before they did, anyone with any blood or injuries hid behind the stage curtain so as not to be seen. Everything looked serene.

The Sergeant looked around and saw Big John. "I might have known you’d be here John, what’s the trouble?"  “Just a bit of a party celebrating Humpy’s fiftieth birthday Sergeant, no trouble at all" John lied through his teeth.

"That’s  not what the woman in the ambulance suggests" the Sergeant pointed out. "Sure, Serge, that’s Biddy O’Brien – the biggest liar in all of Dublin, she probably slipped on the wet floor" again Big John lied. "Well John" the Sergeant said "that story is good enough for me, will I see you during the week?" he asked. "Awe to be sure Sergeant" John winked at him "I’ll be dropping in a barrel for the boys about Wednesday". With that the police officers left the hall and that was the end of the matter.

The party continued at a much quieter rate than before. Injuries were bandaged and several broken noses were stuffed with cotton wool. The poteen and stout lasted just about up to midnight and when the church bells began to ring at the strike of twelve from the nearby St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a great cheer went up.

Kieran, who oddly enough was still stone cold sober, stood up on the stage and wished everyone a happy New Year and new century. He also wished Humpy a happy birthday. Humpy however was now fast asleep in a corner and knew nothing about the whole affair.

The Ragman’s Ball, the New Year and the New Century heralded a new era for Ireland but the only one with any foresight to realise it was in fact Kieran.   As he stood outside the hall in the cold night air he spoke aloud to himself:

"The next hundred years are going to see some changes around not  only old Dublin, but the whole of Ireland.    I hope to God” said Kieran “that She is ready".

Little did he know…………..

----------Mike----------

Suggested by an old Dublin Song:  The Ragman's Ball.

A version of the song by The Dubliners is on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF777yGo5tQ

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