Hanging Rock is a large limestone

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of 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. Cliffs are common on co ...

with an

obtuse angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays, called the '' sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex'' of the angle. Angles formed by two rays lie in the plane that contains the rays. Angles are ...

. It is located beside the village of

Florencecourt Florencecourt is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population (with Drumlaghy) of 135 people. It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district. Historically the area was called "Mullanashangan ...

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 a ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, and is part of the

Cuilcagh Cuilcagh () is a mountain on the border between County Fermanagh (in Northern Ireland) and County Cavan (in the Republic of Ireland). With a height of it is the highest point in both counties. It is also the 170th highest peak on the island of ...

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 The Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark formerly known as the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark straddles the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is centred on the Marble Arch Caves and in 2001 it became one of the first geopa ...

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 ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, specifically

Dartry Dartry () is a small suburb of Dublin, Ireland, often referred to as a corridor between Rathmines area and Milltown. Among the locations in Dartry are Dartry Road, Temple Road, Orwell Park and Palmerston Park. Boundaries Part of Dartry Road ...

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 Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

woodland, an endangered woodland system within

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Historically, the cliff was home to

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

s and

jackdaw Jackdaws are two species of bird in the genus ''Coloeus'' closely related to, but generally smaller than, the crows and ravens (''Corvus''). ''Coloeus'' is sometimes treated as a subgenus of ''Corvus'', including by the IUCN.Madge & Burn (1994) ...

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

Blacklion Blacklion (; also ''An Leargaidh'') is a border village in west County Cavan, Ireland. It is situated on the N16 national primary road, just across the border from the County Fermanagh village of Belcoo. History The village is within the tow ...

and local

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

states that it landed on top of a wandering

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

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