A delegation from Normandy Regional Council, led by President Hervé Morin, visited Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Councillor Jackson Minford hosted the group ahead of the European Year of the Normans in 2027, marking the 1,000th anniversary of William the Conqueror's birth.

The visitors met Minister Lyons in the Keep of Carrickfergus Castle. The Minister presented Morin with a plaque featuring the Year of the Normans 2027 emblem, crafted by apprentices from the Department for Communities' Conservation Works Team using wrought iron and Scrabo sandstone.

Minister Lyons highlighted Carrickfergus Castle as one of Europe's best-preserved Norman castles and noted shared heritage across Northern Ireland and Europe. He referenced recent investments in the State Care Conservation Works Team and Northern Ireland Heritage Skills Centre to sustain state care monuments.

The Department for Communities has planned events for 2027, including a family fun day at Dundrum Castle, archaeologist-led walks and talks at sites such as Inch Abbey, Carrickfergus Castle, and Dromore motte and bailey, and an exhibition titled 'Castles, Mottes and Monasteries' using the HERoNI archive.

The delegation toured Carrickfergus Castle, Carrickfergus Museum, and St Nicholas’ Church of Ireland. They attended a stakeholder event at the castle organised by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities.

Mayor Minford linked the visit to heritage-led regeneration in Carrickfergus through the City Deal initiative. The Council collaborates with partners including the Historic Environment Division, Queen’s University Belfast, and Tourism NI to integrate the borough into the European Cultural Route of the Normans.