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The Danes Cast is a prehistoric linear earthwork located in the Newry and Mourne district of County Down, Northern Ireland. Linear earthworks of this type typically served as territorial boundaries, stock barriers or defensive features during prehistoric periods. The monument sits on bedrock of the Gala Group, wacke-type stone formed during the Telychian epoch, which would have presented a challenging substrate for the construction of any substantial earth or stone banks.
The Danes Cast follows the contours of the local landscape typical of the Mourne region. The name reflects a folk etymology common among such monuments in Ireland, often attributed to Viking or medieval activity though the actual origins of the feature may extend considerably further back into prehistory. The earthwork's preservation and significance have secured it protection as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference 8148.
The monument contributes to understanding the pattern of prehistoric land use and social organisation in the Ulster borderlands. Linear earthworks across Ireland and Britain demonstrate the investment of communities in defining and controlling access across their territories, whether for pastoral management, ritual purposes or defence during periods of permanent or seasonal settlement.
The danes cast. linear earthwork is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 8148. View the official record →
The Danes Cast is a prehistoric linear earthwork located in the Newry and Mourne district of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 8148.
The danes cast. linear earthwork dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a linear earthwork. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
The danes cast. linear earthwork is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 8148.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Standing stone (5.9 km), Counterscarp rath (7.8 km), Rath (7.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The danes cast. linear earthwork's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
The danes cast. linear earthwork stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.