Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic are considering making a joint bid to host the opening stages of the Tour de France.
Stormont Economy Minister Gordon Lyons and Catherine Martin, Irish Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, met on Wednesday to discuss a potential joint bid to be part of the world-famous cycle race.
Mr Lyons and Ms Martin have submitted an expression of interest in the formal bidding process to the Tour organisers.
