Forty young people from Derry have been given the travel opportunity of a lifetime in memory of a woman from the city who died last year..
Lisa Orsi (pictured) passed in March 2015 after suffering severe altitude sickness while visiting a volcano in Indonesia.
Lisa (22), from the Waterside of the area of Derry, had been working as a physiotherapist in Singapore when she died.
Following her death, her family set up the Live Life Lisa Orsi Foundation in her memory.
The foundation involves a trip with up to 40 young Gaels from ten GAA clubs in the North West, including Ardmore, Na Magha, Pearses, Steelstown, Doire Colmcille, Slaughtmanus, Sean Dolan’s, Craigbane, Claudy and Faughanvale.
The clubs nominated young players who they feel will best represent their clubs and the foundation and who will travel to the Asian Gaelic Games at which Lisa had been a enthusiastic participant.
It is hoped that when they return from their travels, the young people will have a positive influence on their peers.
Lisa’s father, Denis, said he believed the project was a fitting memorial to his daughter.
He said: “The Live Life Lisa Orsi Foundation aims to make the trip - which embodies Lisa’s own approach to life, encapsulating her love of Gaelic games, travel and adventure - inclusive and accessible.
“The young people selected to travel will contribute towards the cost of their trip and be actively involved in the Foundation’s ongoing community fundraising activities to encourage a positive attitude to sports participation and health and wellbeing.”
The young will have the adventure of a lifetime later this year when they set off for China to participate in the 21st Fexco Asian Gaelic Games tournament in Shanghai.
The tournament, which was officially launched in Dublin last week, is organised by the GAA Asian County Board and brings together men’s, women’s and juvenile teams to compete in football, hurling and camogie.
The Asian GAA Games have introduced Gaelic sports not only to Irish expats living in Asia but to people from many different nationalities.
Since the games were first held in 1996, they have been staged in Manila, Singapore, Phuket, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bangkok, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur.
This year, around 800 players representing from 18 countries will play 200 matches.
Games are nine-a-side with matches lasting 14 minutes.
The top teams compete for the Derek Brady Cup, the Ladies Cup – which has been renamed the Lisa Orsi Cup in memory of Lisa who was a member of the Singapore Lions Ladies team that won the cup in 2014 - Hurling Cup and Camogie Cup.
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