Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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28. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the work his Department and the agencies under his aegis are carrying out in relation to building on the legacy of The Gathering. [46968/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Gathering Ireland 2013 aimed primarily to generate additional tourist numbers and revenue in 2013.  However, it also aimed to have a longer-term impact.  We set a target of 325,000 visitors and we are well on the way to meeting that. But The Gathering was never just about visitor numbers and revenues.  It is also about community pride and strengthening links with the diaspora.

The Gathering helped to strengthen existing links with Irish communities abroad and create new connections.  Tourism Ireland will continue to work with the diaspora networks and will include this global family as part of its future promotional work overseas.  The networks and databases created through The Gathering will also remain as a valuable asset to Irish tourism.

A number of Gathering related events and festivals have already been identified as having potential to run again. Similarly, the success of the Emerald Isle Classic college football game, which was a key part of the marketing campaign for the Gathering, is being built on with next year's game between Penn State – with the largest alumni association in the US - and the University of Central Florida in Croke Park.

The Gathering also made a vital contribution to the local community. The Gathering network provided extensive training to more than 2,500 people and these community engagement skills will endure and be available to support other local events.

The work of the agencies in this regard are operational matters for Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland and I am referring the Deputy's question to the agencies for their direct reply.   Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.