| Termon | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Ireland |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Ireland |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Ireland |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Ulster |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name3: | County Donegal |
| Leader Title1: | Dáil Éireann |
| Leader Name1: | Donegal |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population As Of: | Today |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Utc Offset1: | +0 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | IST (WEST) |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -1 |
| Coordinates: | 55.0297°N -7.7787°W |
| Blank Name: | Irish Grid Reference |
Termon [1] is a village in the north of County Donegal, Ireland.
Termon is located eight miles from Letterkenny, Donegal's main town and seven miles from Creeslough. Termon is made up of many townlands including Currin, Doon, Drumlaurgagh, Gortnalaragh, Drumbrick, Drumoughill, Cloncarney, Terhillion, Gortnalaragh, Clonkilly, Knocknabollan, Fawans, Drumdeevin, Drumfin, Barnes, Stragraddy, Ballybuninabber, Letterfad, Goal and Gurtin, Loughaskerry.
There are several hills close to Termon, including Lough Salt (469m), the hills of Barnes-Crockmore (the "Resting Bishop") at 324m, 349m & 307m respectively, and Stragraddy mountain (285m). All the hills have views along Donegal's Atlantic coast line or into the higher mountain country of Muckish (666m) and Errigal (749m).
Termon Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in 1963. All age groups play and train at the local pitch "The Burn Road"[2] The Termon GAA adult team plays in the Donegal Senior Championship. The Termon minor GAA team were 2019 Donegal minor Champions and were defeated on 1 January 2020 by a single point by Lavey Derry in the Ulster Minor final in Belfast. Termon LGFA adult team were crowned Tesco Club All-Ireland Champions in 2014, defeating Mournabbey of Cork in the Final. Termon LGFA have won two Ulster Club Championships one in 2010 and one in 2014 beating Donaghmoyne of Monaghan in both finals. The Termon Ladies team were 2019 Donegal champions making them senior county champions for a sixth time they competed in the 2019 Ulster Final being defeated by Donaghmoyne of Monaghan by a single point. Termon currently fields 23 teams at all age groups male and female and schools teams.[3]
Several sites around Termon are significant to the Roman Catholic faith in Donegal.
Doon Well was established by Lector O'Friel sometime around the 1670s. Doon Well's origins are pre-Christian:
Mass rocks were used during the religious persecution of the Catholic Church in Ireland that began under Henry VIII and ended only with Catholic Emancipation in 1829. There are thought to be several more in the Termon area and were generally in areas were people could meet, practice their faith and post a look out to warn the congregation. Priests usually said Mass under pain of death, if they were caught, the priest hunters would put their quarry into a barrel of nails and throw him off the nearby cliff still called 'Binn an tSagairt' or Hill of the Priest. There is also a mass rock in the Terhillion townland of Termon, Terhillion (Tirkillin) means place of little huts or churchyard. The town land of Fawans has a mass rock which is high up in the townland.
Doon Rock (120m approx) is the site where 25 O'Donnells were inaugurated as Chief of the Name and Lord of Tír Chonaill from Eighneachan in 1200 to Niall Garbh Ó Domhnaill in 1603.
While describing how Red Hugh O'Donnell was inaugurated on 3 May 1592, Timothy T. O'Donnell has written, "The inauguration of the O'Donnell as King of Tyrconnell was both civil and religious in nature. The ceremony took place on the great Rock of Doon which is one mile west of Kilmacrenan, from which one is give a breathtaking view of the surrounding country. It began with the religious rites in the church of the nearby monastery and holy well singing Psalms and hymns in honor of Christ and St. Columba for the success of the Prince's sovereignty. Standing on the Rock surrounded by nobles and his clansmen, the Prince received an oath in which he promised to preserve the Church and the laws of the land. The Prince also vowed to deliver the succession of the realm peacefully to his Tanist (his successor). O'Ferghil, the hereditary warden and abbot of Kilmacrenan, performed the religious ceremony of the inauguration of The O'Donnell. O'Gallagher was the Prince's Marshal and O'Clery was the Ollamh, or scholarly lawyer who presented to him the book containing the laws and customs of the land and the straight white wand symbolizing the moral rectitude demanded of his judgments and rule." Then, in honour of the Holy Trinity, Hugh would have surveyed his Clan lands as he walked three times sunwise around the peak of Rock of Doon, after which all the Irish clans present loudly acclaimed him as "O'Donnell!"[4]
Cahir O'Doherty, Lord of Inishowen, was also killed in battle there by Sir Arthur Chichester in 1608, while leading an uprising. This event was a significant influence on the formulation of plans for the plantation of Ulster.
Termon is served by St. Columba's Chapel (1854–present). The parish priest is Fr Patrick McHugh.[5]
Ethne's Well, in the Barnes townland, is named after Columba's mother. Ethne is strongly associated with the area. This holy well had stations performed on 9 June for nine nights.
St. Glassan is a saint of the parish of whom little is known. The "Martyrology of Donegal" gives his feast day as 1 October. The grave of Father Glasán (Frater Cassians) is thought to be in the Stragraddy townland of Termon.