Dublin star Jack McCaffrey has defended suspended manager Ger Brennan, saying his 12-week ban was ‘overly harsh’

Jack McCaffrey believes former Dublin teammate Ger Brennan only spoke publicly about his 12-week suspension due to ‘a particularly verbose member of the GAA hierarchy’.

Dublin boss Brennan will be permitted to return to his touchline role at Kingspan Breffni on Sunday when the 2023 All-Ireland winners face Cavan in a crucial Round 2B encounter.

Last week, Brennan released a statement via his legal representative addressing various comments made by GAA President Jarlath Burns during media appearances on Tuesday.

Brennan took issue with what he described as ‘insulting’ remarks from Burns regarding the disciplinary process, stating the entire episode had made him feel ‘disenfranchised, undervalued’ and experiencing ‘a lack of belonging to the association’.

At Monday afternoon’s announcement of PTSB’s new sponsorship of the PTSB Dublin club leagues and championships, former Footballer of the Year McCaffrey suggested Brennan conducted himself ‘really admirably’ throughout the ‘overly harsh’ suspension and maintained his silence until he felt forced to respond, reports the Irish Mirror.

“I think Ger has acknowledged and apologised and held his hands up early doors,” McCaffrey observed. “And probably felt that his punishment was overly harsh and pursued his appeals, as far as I could see, quietly. And was unsuccessful in them. And then didn’t say a peep really – until he did. Which I think was prompted by a particularly verbose member of the GAA hierarchy talking about it.

“And I think Ger has every right (to feel aggrieved). He was punished, he accepted his punishment. Why do people still need to keep having a pop off him in the media over it? Sorry, that might be a mischaracterisation of what happened but I do have a huge amount of sympathy for Ger in feeling that he was overly, harshly punished.”

McCaffrey stated he didn’t believe the severe sanction imposed on Brennan, in contrast to the lack of action taken against Donegal manager Jim McGuinness for a relatively similar incident in the Kerry game, represented ‘an anti-Dublin thing’.

“I don’t think it means that everybody should get a 12-week ban, two wrongs don’t make a right in that instance,” McCaffrey remarked, while recalling the 12-week ban handed to his former Dublin teammate Diarmuid Connolly after an incident involving a linesman in 2017.

“I am reminded of an episode when I was playing, when one of our teammates got a 12-week suspension for touching an official, and it just became clear that a lot of people touch officials over the course of a season, from watching games, and yet don’t get 12-week bans.

“So I think that’s a case-by-case thing, it’s not an anti-Dublin thing at all. I’m a firm believer that anyone involved in the GAA at any level is doing it with the best intentions and doesn’t go out to treat anyone unfairly. I’d give everyone the benefit of the doubt there. But I can completely sympathise with Ger feeling very disappointed.”

Dublin are desperately seeking to revive their Championship campaign following consecutive defeats to Leinster rivals Westmeath and Louth. Brennan has been absent from Dublin’s last four matches in total due to a suspension stemming from an incident during their National League clash with Galway on March 22.

“It’s just such a pity really,” said medical doctor McCaffrey, a six-time All-Ireland winner. “And I think Ger has behaved really admirably around the whole thing, in terms of just keeping the head down in so far as he could. And they got on with it as a group.

“I think particularly in a first season when you’re trying to find an identity as a gang with new players and everything like that, I just felt sorry for them having to deal with that. And I think Dean (Rock) in fairness has done a remarkable job. I’m sure he didn’t see himself in that role six months ago, 12 weeks ago even.

“I think they’ll have some regrets over it because it’ll have affected the year, and they’ll just need to kind of look back on it and obviously make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

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Former England winger Theo Walcott says Marcus Rashford is the Three Lions player he is “most psyched about” at the upcoming World Cup.

Rashford was left out of Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad and did not play for his country for 12 months between March 2024 and 2025.

Re-introduced by Thomas Tuchel, he has featured in every Three Lions squad under the German other than in June 2025 when a hamstring injury ruled him out.

A loan spell at Barcelona, where he scored 14 goals and registered 14 assists in 47 games for the La Liga champions, has revitalised the 28-year-old Manchester United forward’s career.

He started England’s 1-0 friendly win over New Zealand on Saturday and while Tuchel said there were “no hidden messages” within his first-half line-up, Walcott believes Rashford has to start at the World Cup.

“Rashford this year has been outstanding,” Walcott said on The Wayne Rooney Show.

“I’ve watched him quite a lot. I found the love of watching Barcelona again and took more of an interest with Rashford going out there. It’s been great for him.

“He would be a dead cert to start for me. The way he’s played, that freedom, that enjoyment. We want to see that smile.”

Rashford was England’s bright spark in the first half against New Zealand, creating five chances.

“Rashford’s going to be a major part of this tournament,” Walcott added. “I’m looking forward to watching him. Out of all the players, I’m most psyched about him.

“I think he’s brave to go abroad – it’s great when English players go. I wasn’t brave enough, but for him to do that shows good character.”

The Bake House, at 54 Ashfield, in Shotley Bridge will open its doors on June 19 under owner Stuart Martin, 39, who moved from Darlington to Consett ten years ago.

Stuart has worked in hospitality and catering since the age of 16 after attending catering college.

Stuart Martin, 39, originally from Darlington is the face behind the new Bake House in Shotley Bridge (Image: THE BAKE HOUSE)

Most recently, he taught catering to adult learners at Darlington College before a health scare five years ago led to a period in hospital and forced him to stop working.

He later established a community café at Lanchester Community Centre, which operated for three years and built up a strong customer base before he decided to pursue a new challenge.

Stuart then decided to open The Bake House last summer and secured the keys to the premises in November.

Full renovations have been underway since November last year ahead of the set opening date June 19 (Image: THE BAKE HOUSE)

Since then, the building has undergone a full renovation and is now undergoing final preparations ahead of opening.

The business will sell homemade pies served with meat gravy and homemade mushy peas, alongside a range of traditional and changing pie flavours.

Customers will also be able to buy pastries, cakes, scones, bakery products, light breakfasts including bacon and sausage sandwiches, deli sandwiches and fresh barista coffee.

Full renovations have been underway since November last year ahead of the set opening date June 19 (Image: THE BAKE HOUSE)

The business will initially employ a team of three, including Charles, who previously worked with Stuart at the community café, and Charles’ wife Brandy, who will work part-time.

Stuart said: “The response has been great, and really reassured us.

“I was quite apprehensive as two shops have closed on the street quite recently and I was worried it was going to be turning into a ghost town, but there has been interest in those vacant shops and I think it will all be okay.

“We have been dropping leaflets off in the local community and the response has been great. While doing the works we have left the door open and had so many people popping down to have a look at the progress or speak with us, so it is really reassuring.

“I am not just really excited. I am not in this to make my millions, I am doing it because I love what we do and I think we are good at it.

The Bake House at Shotley Bridge will specialise in traditional homemade pies, with meat gravy and homemade mushy peas (Image: THE BAKE HOUSE)

The Bake House at Shotley Bridge is set to open on June 19 (Image: THE BAKE HOUSE)

“We had a strong customer base at the community café and were trusted there so we can’t wait to open here now and build the same thing.”

The Bake House will be open from 8am to 1.30pm Tuesday to Friday and from 10am to 1.30pm on Saturdays.

Takeaway service will be available, alongside a small indoor seating area, with outdoor seating planned in the future.

Both the UK government and military veterans involved in the 1992 operation are seeking to have findings from an inquest quashed, claiming a failure to properly consider the potential threat they posed

An inquest verdict that SAS soldiers were not justified in opening fire and killing four IRA men in a Co Tyrone village was illegal and irrational, the High Court heard today.

The coroner failed to carry out the correct assessment before ruling that the use of lethal force at Clonoe in February 1992 was unreasonable, a judge was told.

Kevin Barry O’Donnell, 21, Sean O’Farrell, 22, Peter Clancy, 21, and Patrick Vincent, 20, died in the ambush just minutes after they had carried out a gun attack on Coalisland police station.

Both the UK government and military veterans involved in the operation are seeking to have the inquest findings quashed, claiming a failure to properly consider the potential threat they posed.

Joseph Aiken KC, representing the Secretary of State for Defence, argued: “The terrorists that the soldiers expected they would have to confront were among the most ruthless and dangerous members of a highly effective terrorist organisation.”

Members of a specialist military unit opened fire when the men arrived at a church car park in a hijacked lorry with a heavy machine gun welded onto the back.

Twelve soldiers were in position and waiting for them at the scene.

At the time the SAS men insisted the use of lethal force was justified to protect their lives and those of their colleagues from the danger posed by the IRA Active Service Unit.

However, in February last year, coroner Mr Justice Humphreys found that their actions were not reasonable or justified.

He identified no attempt made to arrest the four IRA men, even as they lay wounded.

According to the coroner, experienced soldiers lying in wait at the church would have known the IRA men needed to dismount the machine gun – improving the chances of making arrests.

And in that scenario the ability to arrest them would have improved.

Amid criticism from unionist and Conservative politicians at the findings, judicial review challenges have been brought against the outcome reached.

Opening a case listed for a two-week hearing, Mr Aiken claimed the coroner’s approach involved “a significant legal error” in assessing the central issue of the Article 2 justification for opening fire.

Based on that alleged mistake, he contended the verdict was illegal, irrational, wrongly took some factors into account and did not properly consider other relevant issues.

It was unreasonable to suggest the soldiers did not honestly believe their lives were in danger when they confronted members of an IRA unit which had just fired an anti-aircraft machine gun and other weapons, the court heard.

Opening a case listed for a two-week hearing, Mr Aiken suggested a failure to “stand in the shoes” of the SAS men who used force at the scene.

Instead, he argued, the legal test for self-defence and justification when faced with heavily-armed terrorists was incorrectly applied.

Mr Justice McAlinden was told events which led to the four men’s deaths unfolded in the space of two minutes.

Along with the 12 soldiers, there were also at least 10 IRA men, a lorry with a mounted anti-aircraft gun and other vehicles all at the scene.

“If you are assessing the express belief of a soldier and their decision-making… then you have to take into account exactly what else was happening at the point that decision was made,” Mr Aiken submitted.

“There is an absence of consideration about the nature of the terrorist threat that the specialist military unit was dealing with on that night.”

Describing the attack on Coalisland RUC Station as part of a wider, sustained campaign of terrorism, the barrister insisted the incident was unlike other law enforcement scenarios.

“Given the opportunity, the terrorists involved would have tried to kill the soldiers,” he added.

“If we are right on any of these legal errors on the Article 2 justification assessment, then the (inquest) findings and verdict must be quashed.”

The case continues.

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Joy Allen, County Durham and Darlington’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), warned that some privately regulated facilities around the region are putting children at risk and impacting police resources. 

The Labour PCC has written to the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, and local MPs to raise concerns about the growing use of accommodation that falls outside the children’s home regulatory framework. 

Speaking at a Police and Crime Panel today (Monday, June 8), the PCC said her concerns were sparked after hearing about the case of a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly abused after being placed in an unregulated setting intended to provide care and protection.

“What made it even more shocking was that it happened here in County Durham,” she said.

While many of these settings are not required to register with Ofsted because they are intended for short-term placements of up to 28 days, concerns have been raised that some children remain in them for much longer periods. 

PCC Allen added: “County Durham’s relatively low housing costs can make the area attractive to providers commissioned by authorities from elsewhere in the country. Too often, local agencies are not made aware of these arrangements until something goes wrong – and police are called to respond. 

“It’s quite horrific what’s going on. People are sending children from places as far as Wales into our local area, and we are unaware of them until they come to our attention. There are vulnerable children in our communities, not being safeguarded as we want them to be.”

The intervention follows reports highlighting the scale of unregistered settings operating across England.  

Under current legislation, registered children’s homes are subject to Ofsted inspections, safeguarding requirements, recruitment checks and enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) vetting. 

However, PCC Allen said an increasing number of children are being placed in alternative forms of accommodation, often described as “supported accommodation” or arranged through emergency placements, where the same level of oversight may not apply. 

The PCC added that the current regulations had effectively created “a two-tier system” in which some providers operate outside the safeguards required of registered children’s homes while charging local authorities substantial fees for placements. 

Bridget Philippson, Education Secretary, described such cases as “unspeakable evil” and committed to ending the use of unsafe, unregulated accommodation.

With Americans facing rising inflation, unaffordable housing, and soaring prices at the grocery store and gas pump, many might be looking for new ways to make money.

That’s where Hannah Williams might be able to help. She’s a Washington, D.C., social media personality who interviews people on the street about their jobs and salaries.

She also advocates for pay transparency, the idea that employers should be open about what they pay. The pay transparency movement has grown more popular in recent years, particularly as advocates call attention to gender and racial wage gaps in the U.S.

The 29-year-old has interviewed well over 1,000 people in more than 20 states — from dog walkers to those selling bottled water and candy scientists — for her series Salary Transparent Street, which has earned millions of followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other platforms since it first launched in 2022. Williams was inspired to start the series after finding out she was underpaid while working as a data analyst. Salary Transparent Street quickly went viral, and earlier this year, it was acquired by media company NowThis. Williams, today, makes $150,000 a year as the supervising producer and host.

“It’s very enlightening to break out of this corporate mindset of this nine-to-five, and you need a degree, and you have to follow this path,” she said. “Truly, you can make money doing anything. You just have to be creative, have a mission, have a plan, and it’s possible. I’ve seen it in real life.”

Williams spoke to The Independent, breaking down some of the most surprising salaries and fascinating jobs she’s encountered over the years.

The surprise high-earners

Some might think a six-figure salary requires climbing the corporate ladder or earning an advanced degree. But Williams’ interviews reveal there are all sorts of high-earning career paths out there.

One example of people making “surprisingly good pay” are vendors selling bottles of water near the White House, Williams said. Each year, tens of millions of people visit Washington, D.C., where summer tends to bring scorching temperatures and high humidity.

One water vendor she interviewed said he makes $3,000 to $4,000 a week, putting his annual earnings in the six figures.

“I’ve been doing this for about 15, 16 years. … A lot of tourists come down here every day, and they’re unprepared. Most times, they get overcharged at a vending stand, so I come at a fair marketable price at a dollar,” the vendor told Williams.

Williams has also spoken to dog walkers who said they’re making $100,000 a year. The pet-sitting business has been booming in recent years, particularly in large metropolitan areas such as New York City. Many find work through Rover, a platform that connects pet owners with local sitters and dog walkers who sign up through the app and set their own schedules and prices.

Williams has even encountered jobs she didn’t know existed such as a “candy scientist” she interviewed on the streets of Portland, Oregon, who said his annual salary was over $70,000. By posting interviews with people working unique jobs, Williams hopes her audience can learn about new career paths they otherwise wouldn’t have considered.

“You could be a candy connoisseur and really into science, so the perfect job for you is a candy scientist, but if we don’t talk about these jobs and showcase them on channels like ours, a lot of people don’t know that they exist,” she said.

‘Underpaid and undervalued’

Since launching the show four years ago, Williams said there’s one industry with salaries that have “shocked me since day one”: social services.

Social workers, teachers and janitors are all “so underpaid and undervalued,” she explained. Williams noted that she’s never interviewed a janitor making more than $30,000 (that’s below the federal poverty line for a family of four).

Williams also pointed to medical students and doctors starting residencies, a period of hands-on training that physicians complete after graduating from medical school. Residents stay in their roles for years and typically make less than $100,000 annually while often working long hours, she said. Most are also facing student loan payments, with the average medical student owing more than $200,000, according to the Education Data Initiative.

“It’s conversations with those workers that I really wish I had more time with, that I could ask them: ‘How do you make this work? How do you make it happen?’” Williams said.

Speak up, pay up

Williams hopes her work will empower other workers to advocate for themselves.

“I felt really motivated to go out there and create content that would empower workers just by using our voice and exercising our legal rights,” she said.

Her influence has gone far beyond social media, too. Williams has been asked to testify before lawmakers in support of pay transparency bills in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., all of which have since passed, she said. These types of laws typically require employers to disclose compensation information, among other things.

“Pay transparency laws, I think, are going to be the next thing that’s going to be a nationwide federal law, at least that’s what I’m hoping,” Williams said.

Dr David Farren, chairman of BMA Northern Ireland consultants’ committee, said members did not take their vote lightly.

Doctors in Northern Ireland are set to stage two days of strike action over pay. The British Medical Association (BMA) said its members have voted to take part in the industrial action on June 25 and June 29.

They said resident doctors and consultants were balloted about pay, with 92% of resident doctors voting yes and 79% of consultants voting for strike action. The result of the ballot of specialist doctors will be known on Friday.

The BMA said it is now renewing its call for Health Minister Mike Nesbitt to “urgently engage” with a “credible pay offer” to avert the strike.

The organisation has argued that lower pay for doctors in Northern Ireland means many are choosing to work elsewhere, retire early or reduce their working hours “to prevent complete burnout”, creating a “vicious cycle for those left behind, who face an increased workload due to staff vacancies and increased stress levels leading to more burnout”.

Dr David Farren, chairman of BMA Northern Ireland consultants’ committee, said members did not take their vote lightly.

“This result sends a very clear message that concerns about pay erosion, workload and the future of the profession are widely shared across the workforce, across all grades of hospital doctor,” he said.

“No one who voted in this ballot took this decision lightly, we know that from our conversations with members, but it’s a clear indication from the doctors who actually deliver the health service in Northern Ireland exactly how serious the situation has become.”

Dr Steven Montgomery, BMA’s Northern Ireland resident doctors’ committee chairman said the onus is now on government to engage.

“This result makes it clear that doctors are standing up for safe, sustainable services and for being valued to stay working in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“Younger doctors in particular are more mobile and the better pay and better working conditions on offer in other countries means we are losing doctors when we really need to do all we can to keep doctors working here.

“The onus is now firmly on government to engage urgently and meaningfully and present a credible way forward to avert strike action.”

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Westhoughton High School has an ‘ambitious and well-designed’ curriculum, according to Ofsted, which carried out an inspection under the new framework.

Inspectors found that pupils’ attainment was in line with national averages and many pupils achieve the qualifications needed to progress when they leave school.

Teachers were said to have a good understanding of the subjects they teach.

The Ofsted report stated: “Many pupils at Westhoughton High School are keen to learn and behave well.”

But despite this, the school was found to require ‘significant improvement’ as with attendance among some pupils being described ‘too low’.

Headteacher Neil Coe said that he was disappointed in the Ofsted findings but said the school’s work on attendance was leading to improvements

Achievement, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance and attendance and behaviour were all said to need attention with personal development and wellbeing said to meet the expected standard.

Inspectors reported: “Recently leaders have begun to strengthen their work to improve attendance.

“For example they are working more closely with families and with local primary schools to support pupils’ transition into secondary school and to establish stronger habit of attendance.”

The majority of pupils were said to behave well, despite the limited space in some parts of the building and playground areas.

Inspectors stated: “Leaders have worked with staff to build positive relationships with pupils to create a welcoming environment where pupils feel supported.”

Westhoughton High School

The inspection found that some staff did not re-enforce the ‘school’s expectations’ consistently and some pupils, who wanted to do well felt their learning was being allowed to be interrupted.

Ofsted added that all pupils do not make the progress ‘that they should from their starting points’.

Inspectors reported: “Leaders have taken effective steps to improve several aspects of the school’s work. They have strengthened the organisation and breadth of the curriculum and developed the personal development programme so that pupils benefit from a wider range of opportunities.

“Leaders have also introduced clearer expectations for behaviour and routines across the school and have focused on building positive relationships between staff and pupils. Staff recognise this emphasis on creating a calm and welcoming environment. “However, leaders’ actions have not yet secured improvement quickly enough in some important areas, such as attendance and punctuality.”

Inspectors noted the school’s extra-curricular programme which gives pupils access to a wide range of clubs to enhance their personal development with the PSHE lessons raising awareness of the challenges facing young people today while also raising aspirations, including providing a popular work experience programme.

Mr Coe said: “This has been a challenging time for staff in school, and I know parents may feel disappointed and let down. I am sorry I have not led the school to the outcome that I believe we should have achieved for your children. I remain committed to taking the school on its improvement journey and look to our parent body to support us, particularly with attendance, as we push forward.

“Leaders have already been working on next steps for September 2026 that we believe will help the school to reach the expected standard.

“I am pleased to report that since the January visit our attendance work has finally shown some impact. Spring term attendance this year was 1.1 per cent higher than 2025 and currently, summer term attendance is 2.8 per cent higher than 2025. Our Year Seven learners continue to fly the flag for good attendance and have sustained around 94 per cent attendance for most of the academic year. Our attendance focus isn’t new, but impact has been stubborn for some time.”

He added: “It remains a privilege to serve as headteacher for our school. We have such a diverse range of young people here who bring so much to our school. They continue to make me proud in so many ways.”

BBC One has confirmed it is bringing Agatha Christie’s beloved Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, back to screens.

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Detective enthusiasts have reason to celebrate as the BBC has confirmed a brand-new series centred on Agatha Christie’s beloved Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot.

Titled Hercule, the six-part production will see actor Edward Bluemel take on the legendary role, bringing three of Christie’s most celebrated and enduring stories to the screen.

Reflecting on the opportunity, Edward Bluemel said: “I feel very lucky to have been trusted with such an iconic character who has been played by so many great actors. I can’t wait to continue Hercule’s legacy.”

Bluemel is widely recognised for portraying Hugo in Killing Eve, Marcus Whitmore in A Discovery of Witches, and Lord Guildford Dudley in My Lady Jane.

The series, which is scheduled to begin filming predominantly in Liverpool this summer, will explore the detective’s formative years, according to its official synopsis, reports the Liverpool Echo.

It reads: “The series is an intimate study of Hercule the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars.

“The series takes a magnifying glass to three of Christie’s most celebrated stories, while also charting Hercule’s burgeoning friendship with Captain Arthur Hastings, his early encounters with Scotland Yard’s James Japp, and introducing him to one particular nemesis…”

The screenplay has been penned by Benji Walters, whose previous credits include Code of Silence, The Leopard and Obsession, while BAFTA winner Jonny Campbell will helm the opening two episodes, with Charlie Palmer serving as series producer.

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, commented: “Hercule Poirot is one of the greatest and most loved characters of all time, and bringing him back to the BBC is a real privilege.

“From the first moments of Edward’s audition, we knew we’d found the perfect actor for Hercule, with a performance that feels both fresh and exciting, yet quintessentially Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. We can’t wait for viewers to meet him.”

James Prichard, executive producer for Agatha Christie Limited, added: “My father had the privilege of working with David Suchet for nearly 25 years, and I now have the good fortune of being able to share my great grandmother’s brilliant stories with a new generation of viewers.

“Edward Bluemel is an extremely talented performer and will make a great addition to the long line of actors that have played this celebrated character, aided and abetted by Benji Walters’ thoughtful scripts. I cannot wait to see Edward on screen as Hercule Poirot.”

The series will make its debut on BBC iPlayer and BBC One across the UK, while North American audiences can catch it on BritBox.

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