Desertserges - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Desertserges is a parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

between the towns of Enniskean and Bandon

Bandon, County Cork

Bandon is a town in County Cork, Ireland. With a population of 5,822 as of census 2006, Bandon lies on the River Bandon between two hills. The name in Irish means "Bridge of the Bandon", a reference to the origin of the town as a crossing-point on the river. In 2004 Bandon celebrated its...

, County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. The parish of Desertserges consist of about 20 square miles (51.8 km²) of land on the south side of the river Bandon - the river being its northern boundary for about 4 miles (6 km). Most of the area is hilly, rising from 60 to 230 meters. The fertility of the land is varied with some fertile areas as well as barren uplands.

History

It is believed that the site at Desertserges may well have been sacred before the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. Looked at from the air the graveyard is fairly circular in shape, which is often an indication of pre-Christian antiquity. The early Christians often adopted sites that were already sacred.

The name of the parish comes from a hermit, named Serges who made his home somewhere in the parish. The Irish word "Díseart Seargus" literally means "the hermitage of Serges". There was a Celtic Christian

Celtic Christianity

Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...

monastic Community at nearby Kinneigh

Castletown-Kinneigh

Castletown-Kinneigh is a small rural village near Ballineen in West Cork.The village has a round tower which is one of only two such towers in County Cork . Home to the Diarmuid O'Mathuna GAA Club which was founded in Cookie O'Callaghan Bar in 1968. Castletown, the village itself has one pub, shop...

which is believed to have been founded by St. Colman

Colman of Cloyne

Saint Colmán of Cloyne , also Colmán mac Léníne, was a monk, founder and patron of Cluain Uama, now Cloyne, Co. Cork, Ireland, and one of the earliest known Irish poets to write in the vernacular.-Sources:...

between 617 and 619 CE. It is likely that Serges was a part of that community even though he would have spent much time in solitude. Desertserges was an easy half day’s walk away from Kinneigh for a fit person through the scrub and woods that grew in this area at that time, and across the river Bandon. It is not known for certain exactly where the hermitage of Serges was – some historians say it was a few meters east of the present church and that is probably where the original church stood. The present church (St. Mary's) was built in 1805.

Prior to the 12th century, Desertserges was one of seven parishes which comprised a diocese of Kinneigh. In 1199 it was included in new diocese of Cork by papal decree.

In Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, published in 1837, Desertserges is described as containing 6,629 inhabitants.

Today

Today, Desertserges remains a rural parish. There is one primary school, Desertserges National School, with about 20 children.

Agriculture remains the dominant local industry.