A free public event at Carrickfergus Museum on Saturday 15 August will offer a first look at a new interactive digital map reconstructing the town's medieval layout. The map depicts Carrickfergus as it likely appeared around 1250 AD.

The day includes a morning workshop explaining how historians, archaeologists and mapping specialists combined historical evidence, archaeology and modern software to create the reconstruction. An afternoon visual lecture by Professor Keith Lilley from Queen's University Belfast will examine how mapping reveals the development of medieval towns, using Carrickfergus and other Norman settlements as examples.

The project is a collaboration between Mid and East Antrim Borough Council's museum team and Queen's University Belfast, with funding from The Heritage Council via the Irish Walled Towns Network. It forms part of work leading towards the European Year of the Normans 2027.

The new digital map is expected to be available online and as a touchscreen display in a permanent museum exhibition scheduled for 2027. The earliest surviving map of Carrickfergus dates from 1560 AD, but researchers say it contains clues to an older street layout.

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon, said the initiative highlights Carrickfergus's importance as a Norman heritage site and makes history more accessible. He encouraged people interested in local history, heritage or archaeology to attend and test the map.

Booking for the workshop is available by email or phone, and places for the lecture can be reserved through the council's website.