The number of overseas trips to Ireland has risen above three million for the first time during any three-month period on record.

Latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show the number of overseas trips to Ireland rose by 300,300 (10.8%) to 3,088,000 between June and August, when compared with the same period last year.

The majority of visitors during the three months travelled from the UK (1.1 million), while residents of other European countries accounted for slightly below 1.1 million trips.

Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons welcomed the figures, which he said also showed "this was the best ever month of August for Irish tourism, with more than 1.125 million arrivals recorded.

“It was also the best January to August period for overseas visitors to Ireland, with more than 6.55 million arrivals, representing an increase of +12.3% – 718,600 additional overseas visitors when compared with the first eight months of 2015.”

North American visits to Ireland saw the biggest growth of any region during the period, rising by 13.2% to 667,600.

Meanwhile, the number of overseas trips made by Irish residents between June and August increased by 1.8% to 2,357,600.

For the year to August, the CSO said the total number of trips to Ireland increased by 12.3% when compared with the same period in 2015.

Irish residents' trips overseas during the same period increased by 4.9%.

Mr Gibbons added it “was a strong performance and reflects the sentiment we are hearing from our travel partners overseas, including tour operators and carriers, as well as tourism businesses here at home”.