The borough's links with Andrew Jackson are set in stone in the form of the ancestral home of the seventh President of the USA at Boneybefore.
And now the genealogical research trail has led the Governor of Alabama, Bob Riley, to the historic borough.
"We have traced my ancestry to this area. When we began looking at it we said we knew that it was on the coast, we didn't know if it was particularly in Carrickfergus, but the first ancestor was a gentleman named Patrick Riley and that was in 1760."
Governor Riley was sworn into office again in January 2007, following a successful first term marked by economic progress for the state. He was re-elected with 58% of the vote, making him only the third sitting Alabama governor to win re-election in modern times.
Born in the small town of Ashland, where his family has lived on ranches for six generations, Bob Riley graduated from the University of Alabama at age 20 with a degree in business administration. He returned to his home town, married his high school sweetheart, Patsy Adams, and began a 30-year career in the private sector. On their ranch in Ashland, Bob and Patsy Riley raised a family of four children.
The First Lady and 10-year-old grandson Ren accompanied the Governor to Carrickfergus Town Hall, where the TIMES caught up with him.
"If you look at the south-east, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, there is a very, very prevalent Scots-Irish presence there and it's something we take a tremendous amount of pride in," he said
Admitting he had not been aware of the Andrew Jackson connection, nor of the US Rangers Centre telling the story of the formation of the elite regiment in Carrick during the Second World War, Governor Riley described the visit as "a really educational trip for us".
A painting of King William 111 landing at Carrick attracted his attention in the Mayor's Parlour, where he was hosted by first citizen Alderman Jim McClurg and Mayoress Lynn McClurg.
Alderman McClurg commented: "They had a very enjoyable visit and were very interested in the history of the area and the links, of course, with America. Unaware of the Andrew Jackson connection, they planned to take a drive out to the centre before leaving the town.
"Governor Riley specifically requested to come to Carrick as he had an ancestor who lived close to the coast. He wanted to know about King William and as I am also Carrick District Master, I explained to him about the Orange Order."
The American visitors completed the afternoon with a guided tour of the medieval castle.