As Belfast continues to re-brand and re-imagine itself for the 21st century, Ruairí Ó Baoill's new publication brings to life, for the very first time, the fascinating story of the city's archaeology.

The visitor to Belfast today will find a newly regenerated and thriving city. The Cathedral Quarter, Victoria Square and the development of the Titanic Quarter are all testimony to a city that is striding determinedly towards the future.

But below the surface of the Belfast you see today there is another story, one which stretches back 9000 years to the first people who settled in the Belfast Hills.

Ruairí Ó Baoill's archaeological detective work unwraps the history of a city that is richer and more complex than is immediately apparent.

This fascinating and accessible account of Belfast will bring a new perspective to the built heritage of the city and some surprising revelations. Examples include:

• The discovery of the earliest evidence of human activity found near George Best Airport.
• How excavation on the site of Victoria Square unearthed a possible thirteenth or fourteenth century waterfront.
• Castle Place in Belfast city centre was named after the castle that once stood there.

Hidden History Below Our Feet is beautifully illustrated by Philip Armstrong. An artist who specialises in archaeological reconstruction, he brings each era of Belfast and its environs to life, from the prehistoric to the more recent.

A walk through Belfast's streets will never be the same again as you consider the ancient life of the city hidden below your feet.

---

About the author

Ruairí Ó Baoill

Ruairí Ó Baoill is a specialist in Medieval and Post-Medieval archaeology, graduating from Queen's University Belfast in 1985 with a Joint Honours degree in Archaeology and Ancient History. He directed his first excavation in 1991 and has since been involved in dozens of projects, including large-scale projects with multiple excavations.

Ruairí has taught a variety of courses in archaeology to adult learners; he was a part-time lecturer in archaeology at the Belfast Institute from 1994 to 1997, and was course coordinator of the Certificate Course in Archaeology with the Institute of Continuing Education at Queen's University Belfast from 1998 to 1999. He has served on the Board of the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland (IAI) and is a founder member and former Chair of the Irish Post-Medieval Archaeology Group (IPMAG).

---