Dísert Óengusa () is a medieval hermitage and

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

located in

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

, Ireland.

Location

Dísert Óengusa is located west of Croom, near the headwaters of the

River Maigue The River Maigue (, ) rises in the Milford area of north County Cork, Ireland. The River Maigue is long. It drains an area of It is joined by the small River Glen and the larger River Loobagh in south County Limerick. It then flows north t ...

History

Óengus of Tallaght In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love,Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice-Hall Press, ...

(Óengus mac Óengobann, Óengus the Culdee, d. 824) is believed to have founded the hermitage in AD 780, leaving it two years later. It was associated with the

Culdees The Culdees (; ) were members of ascetic Christian monastic and eremitical communities of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England in the Middle Ages. Appearing first in Ireland and then in Scotland, subsequently attached to cathedral or collegiate ...

(an

ascetic Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their pra ...

movement). They founded small isolated hermitages in deserted places, sometimes called "dyserts". The monastery is mentioned in the annals for 1033. Some early ruins on the site have been dated to the early 11th century. The

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with defensive walls such as curtain wall (fortification), curtain walls. Castle ...

was built in the 12th century. The present church, with

antae The Antes or Antae () were an early Slavic tribal polity of the 6th century CE. They lived on the lower Danube River, in the northwestern Black Sea region (present-day Moldova and central Ukraine), and in the regions around the Don River (in ...

, dates back to the 15th or 16th century. The church was abandoned in later centuries and fell into ruin. Local folklore claimed the tower had been erected in a single night by a

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

. It was visited and sketched by John Windele in 1833. Restoration work was carried out in 2019.

Remains

The tower is tall with a diameter of and a Romanesque doorway above ground level. The church is a simple rectangle by .

References

{{Authority control Culdees Christian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Limerick Archaeological sites in County Limerick National monuments in County Limerick Towers in the Republic of Ireland 780 establishments Religious buildings and structures completed in the 780s