The Druid that Killed John the Baptist

Have you heard about the Druid, Mog Ruith and his most famous deed?  I thought not. It’s not the sort of tale you would hear from a teacher or a priest. In this episode we hear about the druid Mog Ruith and his daughter Tlachtga travelling from County Kerry to the Middle East to study the magic of Simon Magus, and how on the way, Mog Ruith becomes the executioner of John the Baptist. We ask: Who was Mog Ruith? Why did he and his daughter, Tlachtga travel to the Middle East?  Does this story have a hidden meaning that points to the early Irish Church’s struggles with both imported heresy and native paganism? Why aren’t Mog Ruith and Tlachtga as well known as some other Irish Mythological figures? Why did Mog Ruith behead John the Baptist? Why were he and Tlachtga associated with Simon Magus? We also talk about heresy, Roman influences in Iron Age Ireland, the oared wheel, and Kerry UFO sightings .  credits Written, presented and produced  by Marcas Ó hUiscín and Stephanie Ní Thiarnaigh. Music - Celtic Warrior by Damiano Baldoni (licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 public licence https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode Air traffic control audio courtesy of www.liveatc.net Full show notes on http://irishmythologypodcast.ie