Between the Inishowen peninsula, north-west of Derry, and the Glens of Antrim, in the cast beyond the Sperrin Mountains, is found some of Western Europe’s most captivating and alluring landscape.
The Roe Valley Park, some 15 miles east of Deny is a prime example. The Park, like so many Celtic places, is steeped in history and legend. As the Roe trickles down through heather bogs in the Sperrin Mountains to the South, it is a river by the time it cuts through what was once called the “garden of the soul” – in Celtic “Gortenanima”.
The castle of O’Cahftn once stood here and a number of houses which made up the town of Limavady. The town takes its name from the legend of a dog leaping into the river Roe carrying a message, or perhaps chasing a stag. This is a magical place, where the water traces its way through rock and woodland; at times, lingering in brooding pools of dark cool water under the shade of summer trees, and, at others, forming weirs and leads for water mills now long gone.
The Roe, like all rivers, is witness to history and change. To Mullagh Hill, on the west bank of the River Roe just outside the present day town of Limavady, St, Columba came in 575 AD for the Convention of Drumccatl, The world is probably unaware that it knows something of Limavady; but the town is, in fact, renowned for Jane Ross’s song Danny Boy, written to a tune once played by a tramp in the street.
Some 30 miles along the coast road from Limavady, one comes upon the forlorn but imposing ruin of Dunluce Castle, which stands on a soft basalt outcrop, in defiance of the turbulent Atlantic lashing it on all sides. The jagged – toothed ruins sit proud on their rock top commanding the coastline to cast and west. The only connection to the mainland is by a narrow bridge. Until the kitchen court fell into the sea in 1639 killing several servants, the castle was fully inhabited, In the next hundred years or so, the structure gradually fell into Its present dramatic state of disrepair, stripped of its roofs by wind and weather and robbed by man of its carved stonework. Ruined and forlorn its aspect may be, yet, in the haunting Celtic twilight of the long summer evenings, it is redolent of another age, another dream.
A mile or so to the cast of the castle lies Port na Spaniagh, where the Neapolitan Gaileas, Girona, from the Spanish Armada went down one dark October night in 1588 on its way to Scotland. Of the 1500’ Odd men on board, nine survived.
Even further to the east, is the Giant’s Causeway, a stunning coastline with strangely symmetrical columns of dark basalt – a beautiful geological wonder, Someone once said of the Causeway that it was worth seeing, but not worth going to see, That was in the days of horses and carriages, when travelling was difficult. But it is certainly well worth a visit. The last lingering moments of the twilight hours are the best time to savour the full power of the coastline’s magic; the time when the place comes into its own. The tourists are gone and if you are very lucky you will be alone, It is not frightening, but there is a power in the place; tangible, yet inexplicable. The feeling is one of eeriness and longing, unci of something missing, something not quite fulfilled; the loss of light and the promise of darkness; a time between two worlds, Once experienced, this feeling never leaves you: the longing haunts and pulls at you for the rest of your days.
Beyond the Causeway, connecting the mainland with an outcrop of rock jutting out of the turbulent Atlantic, is the Carrick-a-Hedc Hope Bridge- Not a crossing for the faint-hearted. The Bridge swings above a chasm of rushing, foaming water that seeks to drag the unwary down, and away.
| A | B | C | D | E | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sperrin Mountains | |||||
| 2 | Dunluce Castle | |||||
| 3 | Inishowen | |||||
| 4 | The Glens of Antrim | |||||
| 5 | Limavady |
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Question Focus: Location identification using surrounding landmarks
Why this is correct: The passage clearly places the Sperrin Mountains as a major landmark used to describe where the landscape lies. On the diagram, the label that matches this mountain range is The Sperrin Mountains, so this position must be chosen.
Passage Reference: Between the Inishowen peninsula, north-west of Derry, and the Glens of Antrim, in the cast beyond the Sperrin Mountains
Common Mistake: Students sometimes choose The Glens of Antrim because it is mentioned in the same sentence. This is a Context shift trap because the Glens are a different place on the opposite side.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'beyond the Sperrin Mountains' = Statement: 'The Sperrin Mountains'
Tips: On map questions, always use direction words like between, beyond, east, and west to fix the exact position.
Key Vocabulary:
- beyond = on the other side of
- peninsula = land surrounded by water on three sides
Question Focus: Scanning for a named place and its coastal position
Passage Reference: Some 30 miles along the coast road from Limavady, one comes upon the forlorn but imposing ruin of Dunluce Castle, which stands on a soft basalt outcrop, in defiance of the turbulent Atlantic lashing it on all sides.
Why this is correct: The passage says Dunluce Castle is found some distance along the coast road from Limavady and stands above the Atlantic. This coastal position matches point E on the diagram.
Common Mistake: Many students confuse this with Limavady because Limavady is mentioned earlier. This is a Wrong section trap because each place has its own paragraph.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'along the coast road... ruin of Dunluce Castle' = Statement: 'Dunluce Castle'
Tips: When you see a proper name like a castle, stop and read the whole sentence. The location clue is usually nearby.
Key Vocabulary:
- ruin = damaged old building
- coastline = land next to the sea
Question Focus: Identifying the starting reference point of the passage
Passage Reference: Between the Inishowen peninsula, north-west of Derry, and the Glens of Antrim, in the cast beyond the Sperrin Mountains, is found some of Western Europe's most captivating and alluring landscape.
Why this is correct: The very first sentence introduces the Inishowen peninsula and gives its general position. On the map, the label that matches this starting point is Inishowen.
Common Mistake: Students may choose Limavady because it appears early too. This is a Sequence confusion trap because early mention does not mean the same location.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'Inishowen peninsula, north-west of Derry' = Statement: 'Inishowen'
Tips: The first place named in a passage is often a boundary or reference point on the map.
Key Vocabulary:
- peninsula = land almost surrounded by water
- north-west = upper left direction
Question Focus: Using directional language like between and beyond
Passage Reference: Between the Inishowen peninsula, north-west of Derry, and the Glens of Antrim
Why this is correct: The passage places the landscape between Inishowen and the Glens of Antrim. This tells us exactly where the Glens sit in relation to the other places, matching diagram point D.
Common Mistake: Some students mix this up with The Sperrin Mountains. This is a Paraphrase trap because both are geographical features but not the same.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'the Glens of Antrim' = Statement: 'The Glens of Antrim'
Tips: Words like between are powerful. Use them to anchor two ends, then place everything else.
Key Vocabulary:
- glens = narrow valleys
- between = in the middle of two places
Question Focus: Linking a town to nearby rivers and distances
Passage Reference: The Roe Valley Park, some 15 miles east of Deny is a prime example. The Park, like so many Celtic places, is steeped in history and legend. As the Roe trickles down through heather bogs in the Sperrin Mountains to the South, it is a river by the time it cuts through what was once called the 'garden of the soul' - in Celtic 'Gortenanima'. The castle of O'Cahftn once stood here and a number of houses which made up the town of Limavady. The town takes its name from the legend of a dog leaping into the river Roe carrying a message, or perhaps chasing a stag. This is a magical place, where the water traces its way through rock and woodland; at times, lingering in brooding pools of dark cool water under the shade of summer trees, and, at others, forming weirs and leads for water mills now long gone. The Roe, like all rivers, is witness to history and change. To Mullagh Hill, on the west bank of the River Roe just outside the present day town of Limavady
Why this is correct: The passage explains where Limavady is by mentioning its distance from Derry and its connection to the River Roe. This description matches location A on the map.
Common Mistake: Students sometimes choose Dunluce Castle because both are described in detail. This is a Context shift trap because one is a town and the other is a coastal ruin.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'present day town of Limavady' = Statement: 'Limavady'
Tips: For towns, look for distances like miles and nearby rivers. These are strong map clues.
Key Vocabulary:
- present day = modern
- valley = low land between hills
General Tips:
- In map and diagram matching, read for direction and distance words first, not details.
- Scan for proper nouns like towns, mountains, and castles. They are easy to locate.
- Matching Features questions do not follow strict order. Jump to where each place name appears.
- Do not guess based on topic. Always match exact location meaning.
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