There were mixed fortunes for the Irish Tourism sector in 2012 - Dublin had a good year, but the rest of the country didn't fare as well.

According to the latest report from the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation, there were close to 6.5 million visitors from overseas, with around 2% increases recorded in those coming from Europe and the US, while the British market suffered a drop of 4%.

Continuing economic difficulties and depressed consumer confidence had a knock-on effect on the industry, but the outlook for 2013 is positive, with the Gathering expected to boost numbers by up to 5 percent.

John Healy, chairman of the ITIC, says work needs to be done to spread the wealth more and get tourists to travel outside of Dublin: