Hanging Rock is a large limestone
cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...
with an
obtuse angle. It is located beside the village of
Florencecourt in
County Fermanagh,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, and is part of the
Cuilcagh mountain region. The cliff is situated in an area dedicated The Hanging Rock Nature Reserve, which is in turn part of the
Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark.
History
Hanging Rock has long been a notable landmark in the area. Referring to the rock as "Gortatowell Rock" (referencing the townland of today's Gortatole), in his publication "Upper Lough Erne", 1739, Reverend William Henry wrote:
"Just under the brow of the cliff... lies the great new road leading towards Sligo. It is usual for passengers to stop here and admire the awful '' ic' majesty of the cliff hanging over them, and the huge lumps of rock that have tumbled down from it, and to entertain themselves with the extraordinary echo frequently reverberated between the lake below and the hollowness of the cliff."
Geology and hydrology
The cliff is formed chiefly from
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
, specifically
Dartry overlaying Glencar formation. The point where the two formations join is visible at the base of the cliff.
Two
stream risings lay at the base of the cliff, known as the Hanging Rock Risings. One of the risings is constantly active, while the other dries up during times of low rainfall.
The risings are traced to only one source, Legacapple on the Marlbank above,
but the water is believed to combine from a number of other sources.
Flora and fauna
The Hanging Rock Nature Reserve at the base of the cliff consists of damp
ash woodland, an endangered woodland system within
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
Historically, the cliff was home to
eagles,
hawks and
jackdaws.
Salter's Stone
A large boulder sits prominently by the roadside, having fallen from the cliff at some time in the past. It lies on the original road from
Florencecourt to
Blacklion and local
folklore
Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
states that it landed on top of a wandering
salt
In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...
merchant who was travelling along the road at the time. It is said that whenever the rock was found the next day that there was a ring of salt surrounding it. The rock became known as the Salter's Stone, or Cloghogue.
References
Landforms of County Fermanagh
{{Fermanagh-geo-stub