Rory McIlroy has opened a new support centre for children with cancer and vowed to see it replicated elsewhere.
The World Number One golfer returned to Northern Ireland and the picturesque surroundings of Newcastle, Co Down, to unveil Daisy Lodge - a therapeutic short-break centre to which his charitable foundation has given £1 million.
The four-time major winner said this was only the beginning and added that he had been touched by what he learned during his visit.
"I definitely think it is a project I would like to see replicated and I think can be replicated.
"I don't think there is any reason why we should stop here."
Daisy Lodge is the first centre of its kind in the UK and Ireland and will provide every family affected by childhood cancer in Northern Ireland with a free therapeutic short break and also cater for youngsters from the Republic.
This includes families nursing a child with cancer, the bereaved and families where a parent has been diagnosed.
Three out of ten children with cancer die from the disease, according to the Cancer Fund for Children, which runs the centre nestled against the Mourne Mountains.
McIlroy said it was touching to be involved.
"It is about giving back and being able to help others."
He said he did not see any reason why his Rory Foundation, established last year to support charities with special meaning and purpose for him, could not expand and go further afield.
He said the cancer charity set very high goals and he would be there to support it all the way.
The Irish Open is being held at the Royal Co Down club in Newcastle next year, and hosted by the Rory Foundation.
The organisation, which was set up at the start of last year to raise funds for children's charities across the world, will work in conjunction with the European Tour and its charitable arm, the Tour Players Foundation, to choose charities to benefit from the 2015 Irish Open.
As the tournament host, McIlroy is committed to enhancing an already world-class field by recruiting his fellow players from the European and US PGA tours, and he will also work closely alongside the Tour in developing the event's commercial and sponsorship activities.
McIlroy said: "It's part of the plan to make the Daisy Lodge a focal point of the week."
He added: "It would be a real shame not to use this place in some shape or form.
"I think you will see a lot more of this place, definitely during that week. It's a wonderful opportunity for the Foundation to raise money for people that really need it and I am really looking forward to it.
"There is a lot of exciting plans already and come May next year it will be a really exciting week.
"We can use the Daisy Lodge to spread the awareness and spread the good word about what the guys are doing here."
He said money was the easy part - raising awareness was more important.
"I can financially support whatever needs to be done but it is easy, it's easy just to give money here, that is not the important thing here - it is about your time and the effort you put into it, that is the important thing."
The lodge was officially opened on Tuesday but has been going since February, hosting 151 families.
It can cater for eight families at one time or 500 a year.
McIlroy said: "It touches you, it really does, it blew me away; it makes you appreciate everything you have."
He said people took for granted growing up with their parents and siblings in a normal family.
"It has touched me emotionally and I was moved by everything."
He said at this stage in his life it was about being able to help others and he was fortunate to be able to do so.
The current European Number One said it was great to talk about "normal stuff" and learn about the youngsters' lives and interests.
Every year in Northern Ireland another three children, teenagers or young adults aged up to 24 are diagnosed with cancer.
Cancer Fund for Children chief executive Gillian Creevy said: "Families arrive at Daisy Lodge exhausted, vulnerable and broken, having spent many anxious months in a hospital ward or in isolation.
"They are in need of rest, relaxation and quality time together. A short break at Daisy Lodge helps them recuperate so they are ready for whatever lies ahead."
