The Gathering was the lead tourism initiative for Ireland in 2013. This bold initiative aimed to connect the global Diaspora back into Ireland, and bring a new wave of tourists and visitors to the country. The global marketing sought to attract visitors from North America, Europe and Australia. A key part of this initiative originated from within Ireland, where communities were supported to create "Gathering Events” to show the best of their unique culture and to draw people to visit and return. This bottom-up driven approach was unique and aimed to leverage on the deep personal connection many people feel with Ireland. This was the largest National Tourism initiative to have ever come out of Ireland.