A limestone outcrop ( one of 2 in the region - see The Mountain here ) ) stands guard over the Glasheen River in Togher. This article will highlight the rock itself , the area which surrounds it and its geological and historical background.
Throughout its immense geological history , Togher and the subject area under discussion ( The Heighties ) was part of several Super Continents moving from below the Equator to its present location traveling in the process thousands of miles over countless Millions of years. The illustrations below show The Heighties at 3 stages of development starting with the Ordovician Period when sandstone was first being formed to the Carboniferous Period when a layer of Limestone was laid down on top of it right through to the Triassic Period when it became a hot desert. Subsequent flooding would have washed this great mass of sand into the sea and the region entered the Last Ice Age when the land was pulverized by Glaciers measuring 2 - 3 Kilometers in height! When the Ice Age ended over 12,000 years ago , the resulting meltwater turned the area into a wetland and eventually a bog. During all of this turbulence , The Heighties along with its sibling The Mountain managed to survive! However , a threat greater than nature would see its diminution and almost complete erasure by the 19th and 20th Centuries.
The map below dating from 1830 predates the establishment of the Quarry. The ground shows established paths looping around a group of exposed limestone outcrops. The ground is heavy with vegetation and trees. There are three abodes , two smaller cottages and one long conjoined workmen's cottage running perpendicular to the road. Note the bridge is already in situ.
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houses marked in yellow
from road side view
showing limestone mounds excavated
Note : Only one small cottage remains
building scheme late 1960s
Unike its lonely isolated cousin near Hazel Road - The Mountain ( see here ) , Devils' Rock was once part of a large quarry. Today , aside from a small remnant off Blackwater Grove , it is the sole surviving legacy. Its old address was Summerstown Lane but today it is Leamlara Close fronting onto Deanrock Avenue. Its footprint is 61.11 feet being its greatest length from rear to front and its greatest width is 45.79 feet. Extensively quarried during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries , it
eventually fell into disuse and its pockmarked footprint served as a
playground for generations of children from near and far. The various bumps and hollows left behind from the abandoned quarry provided endless hours of free entertainment. Devil's Rock had a far less sinister name back in the 1940s and 1950s when it was known as The Citadel.
before housing scheme commenced late 1960s
Following the subsequent back filling of The Heighties , the land was CPO'd by Cork Corporation for the building of Deanrock Estate a.k.a. the N.B.A. named after the company tasked with the housing scheme. Devil's Rock was simply incorporated and continued to provide local children with a natural climbing apparatus for many years. In 1988 , the roadside portion was converted into a Catholic Grotto which it remains to this day. Despite all of the changing landscape over countless millions of years , Devil's Rock still takes pride of place.
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