DESERT PARISH

Desert – Retreat or hermitage, inaccessible place.  In a Decretal Letter of 1199 it is written Disurdcrum – Diseart Cruime (retreat of the overhanging hill).  This is site of an early ecclesiastical foundation.

 TOWNLANDS

Desert (339 acres) Diseart – Retreat or hermitage.  At the south side are ruins of Desert parish church and graveyard which is now disused.  At the north side is a ring fort.

Ashgrove (180 acres).  Cloch an Easbuig – Bishop’s stone seat.  It might read Cluain Easbuig – Bishop’s meadow.  It is written Clonaspug in Petty’s map

Curraghrane More (111 acres)  Corra an Gharrain – Round hill of the grove.  At the south side are ruins of a coastguard station.

Curraghgrane Beg (67 acres).  The townlands of Curraghgrane were church property and were sometimes termed North Ring.