'I know he’s up there looking down': Hickey on medal hunt with late dad always in her thoughts
Orla Hickey with her mam, Helen, and her late dad, Ger.
Just as every sitting room in the country was being introduced to the energy and enthusiasm of Ger Hickey, his family were saying goodbye to the big man.
Many compelling storylines ran through the brilliantly pieced-together documentary on the 2025 inter-county season.
No story told was as heartwarming or, indeed, heartbreaking as that of Waterford defender, Orla Hickey, and her dad, Ger.
Amid a literal All-Star cast, father and daughter stole hearts and the show itself.
The two-part documentary aired on television on the first two Thursdays of last November. Ger Hickey passed away six days after the second and final episode went to screen.
His 63rd birthday was Friday gone. A late birthday present from his youngest daughter would be Division 1 League ribbons.
Orla first joined the Waterford set-up in 2017. The Déise women were in their second season back wearing senior clothes. It was an uncomfortable fit. They lost all four championship outings that summer.
She and they persisted. Hickey was at half-back when Waterford, in 2023, won through to a first All-Ireland senior final appearance in 78 years. She was nominated for an All-Star that same season.
At the end of the following year's campaign, she packed her bags for Vancouver. The book was closed on Waterford involvement.
A new chapter beckoned. The new chapter proved fleeting. Bags hardly unpacked, she left a city she never got to know.
Home and a hard turn called her back.
“I was only six or seven weeks in Canada when we got the news about dad and his cancer diagnosis. He was given between nine and 12 months. I decided there and then I was going to get up and come back home,” Orla tells the on the eve of Waterford’s maiden Division 1 final appearance.
It was sometime last spring when a member of the Waterford County Board approached Orla about featuring in the behind-the-scenes camogie documentary being spearheaded by Ross Whitaker.
An admittedly private person, Orla was hesitant to commit. It was Ger and mam, Helen, who pushed and persuaded her to allow the cameras in.
“They were like, do go for it, you’ve nothing to lose out of it and you can really show people life outside of camogie. And thankfully my dad shared his story as well, so it wasn't just about me. It's about my whole family.
“I can tell you one thing and that is I am very glad now I did do it. As a family, we will always have the memories and footage of dad to look back on.”
Viewers first meet Orla and Ger sitting outside the family home in Kilmacthomas. Poppy, a white-coated, Maltese-bichon mix, is scurrying about the place.
Ger quickly fills in the backdrop to his daughter’s abandoned Canadian adventure.
“I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and they told me I’d be gone in September. I’m going nowhere, I’m only going to Croke Park. I was delighted to see her come home, I was disappointed to see her come home because of me,” he said with admirable candour.
For someone living with a terminal illness, to welcome strangers into your home and to exude such joyous passion at a time of such personal hardship was to be extraordinarily selfless.
Is it any wonder people still come up to Orla to tell her how much of a “legend” the man was they briefly got to know on television.
“Dad was going through his own journey, and we were going through that journey with him. He wanted, ultimately, to show people what life outside camogie can look like.”
The Hickeys are no different to any other Gaelic games family. Match-days are an occasion, not just 60 or 70 minutes of fare.
The sandwiches are buttered and packed the morning of. The post-match venue for food and refueling is picked out and planned in advance.
There’s endless analysis coming back down the road in the car. There’s further analysis around the kitchen table when landing home.
If Orla's happy with her match contribution, she’s involved in the kitchen table analysis. If she's not happy with her contribution or the result, the match isn't discussed until emotions have simmered.
There’s not a father or mother in the country who can’t resonate with this tiptoeing around a disgruntled child, irrespective of their age or the level they line out at.
The Hickeys know they are no different to every other family following a loved one and a dream. And so they agreed to share both the happy moments and hard ones too.
“You put so many hours into camogie, on and off the pitch, you go to the gym, you are meticulous with your nutrition, you miss social events with family and friends, and I think there is an aspect of, ‘ah sure, you're a camogie player, you'll get over it’, but people have lives outside of it too, and it’s really important to show that side,” 29-year-old Orla explains.
“We all go to work, we all come home at the end of the day, and it was just to show that people do struggle. It was one of the hardest years of my life, and it will always be that way.
“You go out and you put on a brave face at training and on match-day, but deep down you are still worried and still concerned, and you’ll always have that.”
Waterford were due to start pre-season training the same November week as cancer took Ger.
Having worked as a personal trainer and fitness instructor, Orla knew the longer she left it before returning to the county set-up, the more difficult it would be for mind and body.
There were sessions where she went down just to do some running drills by herself at the side of the main group. She simply wanted to feel the connection and closeness of being in the company of teammates and friends.
“Even when we were going through dad’s illness, it was definitely not an escape, because nothing will escape you from it. But sometimes, it is a distraction, and not that you forget about things, but when you're training, you only focus on what you're doing. I felt guilty for a long time about that. And then after training, reality hits when you're coming home in the car.
“Camogie was a huge help. It still is. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't love it. And the fact that Dad loved it so much helps me as well.”
Waterford have been lifting since the throw-in of the 2026 season. They comfortably swatted Cork aside. They went up west and beat the All-Ireland champions in their own backyard.
Victory again over Galway in Sunday’s League final would confirm that summer won’t be the usual race of red versus maroon.
“The big man, as I used to call him, he’ll always be in my thoughts right throughout the game. It is not just you playing the sport, it is your whole family as well. He was one of the biggest supporters in life that I ever had and I know he’s up there looking down.”
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