Termon, An Tearmann, Co. Donegal

An Tearmann · Co. Donegal

The name means sanctuary, and the lands lived up to it - this is where twenty-five O'Donnell chieftains were made kings of Tyrconnell.

Termon, An Tearmann, means the sanctuary - and that is exactly what it was. These were church lands attached to the old abbey at Kilmacrenan, ground where a person on the run could claim protection. The standing stones out in the Barnes townland are thought to have marked the boundary of that sanctuary. You were either inside the line or you were not.

It is a small inland village, around three hundred people, strung along the N56 about fourteen kilometres northwest of Letterkenny and thirteen southeast of Creeslough. No sea, despite the Wild Atlantic Way label - the coast is over the hills. What Termon has instead is height and water: Lough Salt at 469 metres, the three peaks of Barnes-Crockmore that make the shape of a bishop lying down, the Lurgy river running through, and a scatter of small loughs across the bog.

Do not confuse it with Gartan next door. Saint Colmcille was born at Gartan, near Church Hill, not here - though the two parishes are joined as Gartan and Termon in the Diocese of Raphoe, and the local church on the hill is dedicated to him. St Columba's Church was built around 1903 and is one of two in the parish.

The real pull is south of the village, near Kilmacrenan: the Rock of Doon and Doon Well. The rock is where the O'Donnells, the kings of Tír Chonaill, were inaugurated for four centuries. The well below it is one of the most visited holy wells in the county. Between them they carry more history than a village this size has any right to. That, and Termon's footballers, who have brought senior silverware home to a parish of three hundred souls.

Population

~308

Pubs

1and counting

Founded

Church sanctuary lands of Kilmacrenan; St Columba's Church c. 1903

Coords

55.0472° N, 7.8153° W

01 / 09

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 The Rock of Doon

Where the O'Donnells were crowned, 1200 to 1603.

Twenty-five chieftains of Tír Chonaill were inaugurated on this rock, from Eighneachan in 1200 to Niall Garbh in 1603. They stood barefoot on a stone, took the white rod of office, and walked sunwise round the summit. It is a short drive south near Kilmacrenan.

Stories & lore → 02 Doon Well

A holy well still hung with rags and crutches.

Tobar an Dúin, established around the 1670s. People come barefoot, say the prayers off the plaque, tie a rag to the thorn bush and leave. Nearly every home in Donegal once kept a bottle of the water. The crutches left behind tell their own story.

Stories & lore → 03 Inland Donegal

No coast here. Mountain, moor and the road to Glenveagh.

Termon sits on the N56 between Letterkenny and Creeslough, ringed by Lough Salt and the Barnes hills - the ones locals call the Resting Bishop. Glenveagh National Park is on the doorstep. You came inland on purpose.

Getting there →

02 / 09

The pubs.

None of these are themed Irish pubs, because they don't need to be. A few that earn the trip:

The Lagoon Restaurant & Guesthouse

The one place that does everything

Bar, restaurant & guesthouse, Drumbrick

On the N56 at Drumbrick, this is effectively the hub of the village - a bar with a fire, a restaurant, and guest rooms over it. Food served daily from noon to nine. It is where people stop coming home from Glenveagh or Ards Forest Park. Reviews run the usual rural-pub range from warm-welcome-and-grand-fire to the-batter-was-too-dark, but in a village this size it is the social centre and the obvious stop.

03 / 09

Where to eat.

Place	Type	€	Local note
The Lagoon Restaurant & Guesthouse	Bar restaurant, Drumbrick on the N56	€€	The kitchen does straightforward pub-restaurant food - the kind of carvery-and-mains, fish-and-chips, big-plate cooking that feeds a Sunday crowd. Food noon to nine daily. There is no spread of options in Termon: this is the village dinner. For anything more you are driving the fourteen kilometres back into Letterkenny.

04 / 09

Where to sleep.

Place	Type	Local note
The Lagoon Restaurant & Guesthouse	Guesthouse rooms over the bar, Drumbrick	Guest rooms above the restaurant on the N56 - spacious, comfortable, pet-friendly, with the bar and kitchen downstairs. A genuinely handy base for Glenveagh National Park and the wider inland north of the county, with Dunfanaghy and the coast a short drive over the hills. For more choice in beds you are back in Letterkenny.

05 / 09

Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

Twenty-five kings, 1200 to 1603

The Rock of Doon

On a rock about a kilometre west of Kilmacrenan, twenty-five O'Donnell chieftains were made Lord of Tír Chonaill - the kingdom that ran across most of Donegal. The first was Eighneachan in 1200; the last was Niall Garbh, with the line ending around the flight of the earls in 1603. The ceremony was half civil, half religious: rites first in the church and well below, then the new chief stood barefoot on a special stone bearing the footprint of the original O'Donnell, was handed An Slat Bhán - the white rod of office - and walked three times sunwise round the summit for the Holy Trinity while the clans acclaimed him. The rock stands high and the views run for miles. Tarmac paths have tidied it up, but the weight of the place is still there.

Tobar an Dúin, since the 1670s

Doon Well

Below the rock is Doon Well, established by Lector O'Friel around the 1670s, though the site is older - bronze-age artefacts and an ancient bog road were found nearby. It is one of Donegal's most famous holy wells. Pilgrims approach barefoot, say the prayers set out on the plaque - five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys - and leave something at the rag tree: a strip of cloth, a rosary, a prayer card, a small statue. Photographs from years back show crutches stacked beside it, left by people who said they walked away cured. It was once said nearly every house in Donegal kept a bottle of water from the Well of Doon, with more sent to relatives abroad. One night a year is still kept for a formal pilgrimage.

An Tearmann - the place of sanctuary

The sanctuary stones at Barnes

The village name is the whole story. A tearmann was a tract of church land where a fugitive could claim protection, here tied to the medieval abbey at Kilmacrenan. The standing stones in the Barnes townland are believed to mark the old boundary of that sanctuary - cross inside the line and you were under the protection of the church. There is also Ethne's Well in Barnes Lower, named for Colmcille's mother. None of it is signposted like a visitor attraction. You have to want to find it.

All-Ireland champions, 2014

Termon GAA

For a parish of around three hundred people, Termon punches a long way above its weight on a football field. The GAA club was founded in 1963, with grounds on the Burn Road. The ladies' team are the standout - Ulster club champions in 2010 and 2014, and All-Ireland Ladies' Club Football champions in 2014. In a village this small that is not a statistic, it is the thing half the parish was at.

06 / 09

Things to do outside.

Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.

Rock of Doon and Doon Well Off the N56 near Kilmacrenan - drive through the village, take the left for Doon Well after about a kilometre, park, and walk in. The well is at the bottom; the rock climbs above it. Do the well first, then the short steep pull up the rock for the view over Tír Chonaill. Quiet most days. Treat the rag tree and the offerings with respect - this is a working pilgrimage site, not a ruin.

1 km return on footdistance

30-45 minutestime

Lough Salt The big lough northwest of the village, sitting high at 469 metres with a road climbing past it toward Kilmacrenan and the coast. Pull in at the viewpoint - on a clear day the spread of inland Donegal and the hills behind Creeslough is the picture. Walking is open hill and bog, so boots and an eye on the weather.

Variesdistance

1-2 hourstime

Glenveagh National Park Not in Termon, but close - the park entrance is a short drive south of the village. The castle, the gardens, the lakeshore walks and the deer-filled glen are the headline outing of the whole area. Easily combined with a stop at the Rock of Doon on the way in or out.

Several marked trailsdistance

Half a daytime

07 / 09

When to go.

There is no bad time. There are different times.

Spring

Mar-May

The hills green up, the light over Lough Salt is at its best, and Glenveagh comes into its own before the summer coaches. Doon Well is quiet. A good time inland.

◉ Go

Summer

Jun-Aug

Long evenings, the warmest run at Glenveagh and the coast over the hills within easy reach. The Lagoon is busiest with people coming and going from the park. Book a bed ahead at weekends.

◉ Go

Autumn

Sep-Oct

Colour on the Glenveagh oakwoods and the bog, the rut bringing the deer down, and the football season in full swing in the parish. Crisp days, fewer people.

◉ Go

Winter

Nov-Feb

Short days and real weather on the high ground - Lough Salt and the Barnes hills can be grim, and the Glenveagh trails get cut back. The Lagoon keeps the fire going. Doon Well in the rain has its own atmosphere if you are dressed for it.

◐ Mind yourself

08 / 09

What to skip.

Honestly? Don't bother.

If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.

Looking for the sea

Wild Atlantic Way label or not, Termon is inland. There is no beach here. The coast is a drive over the hills to Creeslough, Dunfanaghy and Ards. Come for the mountains, the well and the rock, not for surf.

Crediting Termon with Colmcille's birth

The saint was born at Gartan, near Church Hill, not in Termon. The parish is jointly named Gartan and Termon and the local church is dedicated to him, which causes the mix-up. The actual birthplace and the heritage centre are the next village over.

Expecting a tidy visitor attraction at Doon

The Rock of Doon and Doon Well are real, living heritage - a pilgrimage well and a clan inauguration rock, not a managed site with a cafe and a car-park barrier. Park considerately, walk in, and treat the offerings on the rag tree as what they are.

Getting there.

By car

Termon is on the N56 about 14 km northwest of Letterkenny and 13 km southeast of Creeslough. From Letterkenny, take the N56 north through Kilmacrenan; the Rock of Doon and Doon Well are signposted left shortly after Kilmacrenan. Glenveagh National Park is a short run south. Your own car is the practical way in.

By bus

Limited rural service. Local Link Donegal runs routes through the Letterkenny-Kilmacrenan-Termon corridor, but timetables are sparse - check before you rely on it. For flexibility around Glenveagh and the inland roads, drive.

Next on the tour

Co. Donegal

Church Hill

The next parish, around Lough Gartan - the actual birthplace of Saint Colmcille, with the heritage centre and the Glebe House art collection. The story the Termon stub used to claim is really here.

Co. Donegal

Creeslough

Thirteen kilometres northwest on the N56, under Muckish mountain - the gateway toward Dunfanaghy and the coast.

Co. Donegal

Letterkenny

Fourteen kilometres southeast. The big town - shops, hotels, services, and where the roads all gather. Your base for everything inland.

Co. Donegal

Kerrykeel

East over toward the Fanad shore of Lough Swilly. A change of landscape from the inland bog to the sea lough.