The father of Derry woman Lisa Orsi, a Gaelic footballer who died during a holiday in Indonesia eight years ago, has spoken of his delight in helping bring the GAA World Games to her home town.
Lisa Orsi, who played for Ardmore in Derry and had represented her county before moving abroad, was 22 years old when she became acutely ill with altitude sickness on a volcano trek in 2015 and sadly died.
Her father, Dennis Orsi, has been working behind the scenes through a foundation set up in his daughter's memory to bring the World Games to Derry city - as a way of both honouring Lisa's legacy and as a showcase of the vibrancy and diversity of Gaelic games worldwide.
Read more: Excitement building as Derry gears up to host GAA World Games for the first time
Speaking to Belfast Live, he paid tribute to the support shown to the family by his daughter's team mates in the Singapore Lions, the club she won the Asian Gaelic Games with in Kuala Lumpur, for the way they rallied to the family's side during the difficult days after she became ill while trekking in Indonesia.
In the years since Lisa's death, Mr Orsi has poured himself into the Live Life Lisa Orsi Foundation - an organisation set up to honour his daughter's life and values, with an inclusive message and the grassroots, community spirit of the GAA at the forefront.
The foundation has taken groups of young people from Derry city, including those from a Protestant, Unionist or Loyalist background, to places such as Malaysia and South Africa.
A further trip is planned for Cambodia next year.
Now, thanks in no small part to his own efforts with GAA decision makers and his relentless promotion of the foundation's message, the GAA World Games is set to arrive in Derry on July 24 with Mr Orsi expecting a "carnival atmosphere" over the course of the five day event.
On the foundation's trips, Mr Orsi said Lisa's experience of inclusion and diversity during her time playing Gaelic football abroad is the central message for the young people involved.
And it is that lesson that was central to bringing the World Games to Derry, Mr Orsi said.
"In Lisa's team in Singapore, half of the ladies were Singaporean and half of them were Irish," he explained.
"I realised that when Lisa was in trouble, they all understood that they were a team, they were all there for Lisa, and they were also there for each other."
Upon arriving in Singapore initially, Mr Orsi explained, Lisa had struggled to find a social group before someone in Bright Vision Hospital - where she worked as a physiotherapist - suggested she join the Singapore Gaelic Lions. She quickly found a community.
"It was a home for her, it was her Singapore family right away," Mr Orsi said.
"She knew she could call on them. I noticed that straight away. They all found the club was like their therapist."
After Lisa fell ill, the GAA community showed their support to both Lisa and her family.
"We never had to lift a hand in Singapore, from the time we arrived," Dennis said. "I'll be promoting Gaelic abroad for the rest of my life. I owe that to the young, vibrant members of the Singapore Lions.
"I owe it to all those young people, and I owe it to this city, to the people of Derry as well. They were here for us, no questions asked, they stepped up to the mark and they really helped us out."
As for his efforts in helping to bring the World Games to Derry, he said: "The amount of people that I approached was enormous. I knew that if you're going to be serious about something then you need to keep approaching as many people as you can, keep putting that fishing line out there.
"I am really delighted that the GAA is putting Lisa at the forefront. Our foundation, our youth group, is going to the three airports to meet the teams when they arrive and that is a lovely, lovely thing. Our city, which was a virtual no-go area for anyone 30 years ago, can now proudly invite people from all nationalities to celebrate these sports."
On the potential benefits for Derry, he said: "There is an opportunity here to show that everybody is on a level playing field, across the world, and I think it's just perfect for Derry. We have something like 70 or 80 different languages in Derry now. If you walk through the city right now you can see people from all different backgrounds, and we should be taking advantage of that and saying 'join our Gaelic club'."
He added: "These young people are going to come here from all over the world, come into Derry and have a look at what we've got to offer. And there are opportunities - let's bring these new ideas into Derry. I was delighted with the sponsors of the Games, [FRS Recruitment] a recruitment agency, because that's just perfect.
"We've got an opportunity to showcase Derry as a young, modern, vibrant city. We've been so divided in this city and there's a real opportunity for Derry to see all this diversity with the World Games, learn from it, and look at what can be achieved."
He added: "It's a very big deal for this city, and there was some real competition from some very big cities. The World Games is a growth thing. I do hope that it will come back again and, maybe some years down the line, this will be like the Fleadh Cheoil. "This could be the next big thing. The pubs are already thriving, the restaurants are getting ready for it, the hotels are booked out. All the rooms in the city are gone and they're booking out in Donegal and Limavady, even Coleraine as well."
A total of 93 adult teams from around the world playing football, hurling and camogie are expected at the Games.
There will be a parade through Derry City on July 24 down Shipquay street, finishing at the Guildhall with the opening ceremony at 7.00pm.
From July 24-27, the Games will take place at the Owenbeg Centre of Excellence near Dungiven, with the finals taking place in Celtic Park in Derry city on July 28.
The event is free.
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