Andrew Porter has opened up about his mother's death, before Ireland begin their World Cup campaign in Japan.
The 23 year-old's mother, Wendy, passed away when Porter was 12 and he is keen to do his best on the world stage in her honour.
The Irish camp released a raft of photographs this weekend, showing the players in domestic mode, and Porter was shown holding a portrait of Wendy in his.
"I got a few messages from people back home saying that they liked the pictures. There hasn't really been much in camp. They were lovely pictures, though," said Porter of the photos.
"There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about her. It is something that has always been close to my heart - it's on my [tattoo] sleeve."
"It is nice that the photos show another side to us, that we are more than just players. We are brothers, sons, boyfriends, husbands. It is nice to be able to show other people that side of us."
Porter believes that it is important for the fans to be able to relate to players, and that the idea - first spawned by team photographer, Dan Sheridan.
"At the end of the day, we are all humans. It is in everyone's nature. I wouldn't pay much attention to what is going on outside of it, but it is nice to see how they all turned out."
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