Belfast’s hidden river

The River Farset has been forgotten, but it still flows beneath Belfast’s High Street.

Belfast derives its name from the Irish “Béal Feirste”, which roughly translates as “the sandy ford at the mouth of the Farset”. The city was founded at the point where the ford and the Farset crossed; today you’ll find St. George’s Church on this spot, at the corner of High Street and Victoria Street.

The River Farset was a key feature of Belfast for ce…