Hanging Rock is a large limestonecliff with anobtuse angle. It is located beside the village ofFlorencecourt inCounty Fermanagh,Northern Ireland, and is part of theCuilcagh mountain region. The cliff is situated in an area dedicated The Hanging Rock Nature Reserve, which is in turn part of theMarble Arch Caves Global Geopark.[1]
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[sic] 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."[2]
The cliff is formed chiefly fromlimestone, specificallyDartry overlaying Glencar formation. The point where the two formations join is visible at the base of the cliff.[3]
Twostream 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.[4] The risings are traced to only one source, Legacapple on the Marlbank above,[5] but the water is believed to combine from a number of other sources.[4]
The Hanging Rock Nature Reserve at the base of the cliff consists of dampash woodland, an endangered woodland system withinIreland and theUnited Kingdom.[1]
Historically, the cliff was home toeagles,hawks andjackdaws.[2]
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 fromFlorencecourt toBlacklion and localfolklore states that it landed on top of a wanderingsalt 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.[1]
54°15′25″N7°42′14″W / 54.257°N 7.704°W /54.257; -7.704
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