Desertmore is situated in the valley to the right of the main road from Killumney to Begley’s Forge.
This is a very old church site, all is now gone except the Residence built around 1780. It is believed that the last burials took place there during the famines of the nineteenth century. The King of Cork, Diarmuid McCarthy, is said to have been killed in the vicinity of this graveyard.
Desertmore is derived from Diseart Mór, meaning the great hermitage, which was located in Ballygroman Lower. We do not know the name of the hermit but St. Finbarr was said to have been a frequent visitor.
The ancient church on this site was in ruins in 1615. No trace of this church or the church built by the Church of Ireland in 1815 now survive. The Church Of Ireland vacated the site in 1872, amalgamated with Athnowen Parish, and sold the house and farm. The Church was demolished in 1888. Cattle now graze where the Church once stood.