RAPPERS Kneecap should be on the curriculum for the Leaving Certificate, Brian Kennedy has claimed.

The singer grew up on the same streets in Belfast as the controversial hip hop trio, who were mobbed by fans last week when they arrived at a court in London.

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Lead singer Liam Og O hAnnaidh, 27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court accused of a terrorism offence — before being released on bail.

He is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in November 2024.

But Brian believes the group could teach students both the Irish language and the history of the island through their rap songs.

Brian told The Irish Sun: “I think putting the lyrics and songs of Kneecap on the Leaving Cert would be a really clever way of speaking to a new generation.

“Kneecap are passionate about the Irish language. I want to see them live.”

Brian hopes he might meet Kneecap when he tours in new musical Moonlight: The Philip Lynott Enigma, which comes to UCH Limerick tomorrow night.

This comes just days after UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he does not think Kneecap’s planned Glastonbury Festival performance is “appropriate”.

Asked if he thought the trio should perform at Glastonbury, Starmer replied: “No, I don’t, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this.

“This is about the threats that shouldn’t be made, I won’t say too much because there’s a court case on, but I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch also voiced her disapproval of the band being platformed and said the BBC “should not be showing” Kneecap’s performance at the festival.

Badenoch said in the X post: “The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda.

“One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act.

“As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.”

Last year Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in the Belfast High Court after Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 (€16,640) funding award when she was a minister.

Kneecap took aim at her in their latest single, The Recap, released just before their headline set at London’s Wide Awake festival in May, with the song mocking the politician’s attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party’s election loss.

A MOTHER who battled addiction for 14 years has told how Ireland’s only ­full-time Drug Treatment Court “saved my life”.

Anne Marie Sweeney — who previously served time in the Dochas women’s prison — made the claim after The Irish Sun gained an exclusive insight into the justice system.

Gary Ashe

Gary Ashe

The court, based in Dublin’s Green Street, offers addicts who have been found guilty or pleaded guilty to non-violent offences the chance to have their charges dropped if they successfully complete a programme.

After completing her course last year, the mum of seven, 43, from Swords, north Dublin, wants to see full-time drug treatment courts (DTC) in cities and towns across Ireland.

Anne Marie, who now works as an outreach worker for the Traveller community, said: “This court is such a positive aspect of our criminal justice system — it saved my life.

“Once I had completed the process, it then gave me a foundation to build on, and now I am in the community helping others.

“It allowed me to be a mother to my children and I wouldn’t have had this opportunity if I had been in prison.

“I can’t recommend this court process to people enough — especially those who are struggling with their mental health and addictions.”

Anne Marie added: “I firmly believe that this type of court should be ­operating on a full-time basis all across Ireland.

“I often travel around the country to talk about my experience and I have also been to the prisons to speak about such a positive experience.”

During the court process, which normally takes around two years to complete, participants have to prove they are no longer on drugs, must undertake education courses and prepare a plan for their future.

The programme is based on different ‘bronze’, ‘silver’ and ‘gold’ phases.

HELPING CHANGE LIVES

Those participating in the programme range from the ages of 18 to people in their 60s.

Once each phase has been completed, participants receive a cash voucher with a graduation ceremony held at the end of the ‘gold’ phase.

Following the end of the gold phase, participants are drug-free, have completed an education course, and have identified a “pathway” to employment.

In operation since 2001, the DTC has helped change the lives of more than 700 people.

In March this year, ten people were in the bronze and silver phases, with one in gold. Eight people are also being assessed for the programme.

Other figures show that, since its formation, 105 people have graduated from the gold phase.

‘THEY’RE HUMAN BEINGS’

Judge Paul Kelly, who is President of the District Court, told The Irish Sun how the aim of the court was to help improve the lives of offenders.

The senior judge said: “Every person before the court is an individual whose own case is personal and individual to them.

“They are human beings and they are citizens — they are entitled to get the best out of our system, including our judicial system.

“The people who participate in the programme often have chaotic backgrounds, but if they successfully complete the programme, they will reconnect with their community and contribute to society.”

Former gang member Ger Redmond, 43, who now teaches kids in Oberstown Detention Centre, described the DTC as a “unique opportunity” for the participants.

“This court is such a positive aspect of our criminal justice system — it saved my life.”

Anne Marie Sweeney

Ger, from Darndale in north Dublin, said: “Anyone who participates in this programme has nothing to lose but everything to gain.

“This is a great alternative to a prison sentence, courses like this don’t just keep people out of prisons.

“It gives people an opportunity to be redeemed and live a life they could never have imagined.”

OFFERING AN ALTERNATIVE

Judge Kelly added: “Prison doesn’t address their underlying problems. It’s the underlying conditions of addiction that drive the criminality, particularly for shorter sentences.

“This is an alternative to the traditional court process and it allows offenders who have addictions to illegal drugs to divert from the normal criminal court system and embark on a programme of treatment which is supervised by the court and in the control of the court.

“The programme allows them to avail of a ‘Rolls Royce’ service in terms of support with education, housing, personal support, probation support and Garda support.

“I have often said that there really is a need for a drug treatment court in every city and large town in Ireland, at the very least.”

The judge also said: “Anybody who gets through the gold standard is somebody who has got back to a sustainable, productive and fulfilling life.

‘BACK IN THE COMMUNITY’

“They are back in the community and contributing to society — great positive benefits for society, less stealing and drug dealing.

“The multi-agency approach to this process is crucial and it wouldn’t work without that.”

When we visited the court last week, we also spoke to Mary, 50, one of two women who were appearing at the court last Wednesday.

The Dublin woman, who is in the ‘silver’ phase of the process, has vowed to turn her life around after struggling with addiction to sleeping tablets and other prescription pills.

“This is a great alternative to a prison sentence, courses like this don’t just keep people out of prisons.”

Ger Redmond

She joined the programme two years ago after she was charged with theft. Once she completes the course, her charge will be struck out.

She said: “I’d rather do this programme than go to prison.

“I love life now and I can hold my head high, because, in the past, I was always out of it.”

Other participants have included a mother who now gives talks at justice conferences, a former addict who is now participating in Hyrox fitness competitions in France, and a man who recently read a poem he had written to the court.

Another includes a former participant who now works at the DTC, providing support to others undergoing the programme.

Louise Dwyer, who has had 27 years working in the courts and is the ­registrar at the DTC, paid tribute to those people who are working hard to turn their lives around.

REAL POSITIVE CHANGE

She added: “I have been at the DTC for nine years and it has been fantastic to see the real positive changes that people have made to their lives.”

Garda Jamie Cruise, who is the full-time Garda at DTC, also praised those who had changed their lives.

Gda Cruise added: “The participants on the programme get great encouragement and it provides them with the opportunity to get their lives back on track.”

Sgt Colin Sullivan, who is based at the Criminal Courts of Justice, also spoke about the benefits of the drug treatment court.

He said: “The court offers a positive engagement with the clients who participate in the programme.

‘GREAT SUPPORT’

“We have had great support from Supt Jonathan O’Brien at the Bridewell Garda Station and we can see the benefits once individuals have graduated from their courses.”

The agencies involved in the DTC are the HSE, An Garda Siochana, City of Dublin Educational Training Board, the Courts Service and Judiciary.

Participants are also given points by the DTC after completing different phases of their courses and, once they earn 70, they receive a voucher.

Those who fail to reach the required standard could have their bail revoked or be discharged from the programme.

Although the only full-time court is in Dublin, similar courts have been held in Louth, Meath and Limerick.

Instagram / gerredmond5

Gary Ashe

Gary Ashe

Garda Sgt Colin O Sullivan, Noel Mooney, Judge Paul Kelly, Louise Dwyer, Garda Jamie Cruise and Lorraine Fagan are all part of the team helping[/caption]

HOUSE price inflation has soared to its highest in ten years.

The House Price Report from property website Daft.ie found that the cost of an average home in Ireland rose by three per cent in the second quarter of the year.

The typical price of a house around the country was found to be €357,851, 12.3 per cent higher than at this time last year and 40 per cent higher than at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

In Dublin, house price inflation is in line with the rest of the country at 12.3 per cent, while Leinster as a whole saw an increase of 14.3 per cent.

In both Limerick city and Galway city, costs rose at roughly the rate of the national average, sitting at 12.8 and 12.5 per cent respectively.

The rate of inflation in Waterford city is 15.2 per cent, while the same figures are lower in Cork, where price increases are 8.6 per cent.

The average cost of a home in Dublin was €467,913, while in Galway city it was €426,348 and in Cork it was €369,938.

The current market inflation is the highest seen in ten years — since mortgage market rules were introduced.

And while the Government has boosted its homebuilding target this year, Housing ­Minister James Browne said last week that the aim of 41,000 is “not realistic”.

Trinity College economist and author of the report Ronan Lyons said it is time for the Government to step in and create a plan for producing more homes.

He explained: “The fastest increase in housing prices since mortgage market rules were introduced a decade ago highlights the importance of addressing Ireland’s chronic housing shortage.

“The substantial increases over the past year in almost all parts of the country are linked to the lack of second-hand supply.

SECOND-HAND SUPPLY ISSUE

“This in turn is related to the increase in interest rates earlier in the decade.

“As interest rates come down and mortgage-holders come off their fixed rate terms, the picture for second-hand supply will improve.

“There are already some tentative signs in Dublin of an increase in second-hand supply. Nonetheless, the second-hand market is only part of the solution.”

He added: “Policymakers have to address their failure to recognise and provide the framework for enough new homes each year.”

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House price inflation has soared to its ­highest in ten years[/caption]

A TRAUMATISED woman who was sexually abused by her brother over 1,000 times said last night: “He will always be a monster.”

Michelle Cooke, 49, made the claim as her vile older sibling Kenneth, 62, prepares to be released from Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison next month.

Garrett White - The Sun Dublin

Michelle Cooke was abused by her brother between the ages of seven and 11[/caption]

Garrett White - The Sun Dublin

Michelle told our Crime Editor Stephen Breen that her brother will also be a threat to children[/caption]

The paedo targeted his younger sister when she was between the ages of seven and 11.

He was jailed for nine years at Dublin Circuit Court in January 2015, when he was found guilty on 16 counts of indecently assaulting his brave sibling.

In 2016, he received a 14-year sentence after he was convicted of abusing two boys.

Although both sentences ran concurrently, he will now be freed after serving more than ten years in prison, due to time served.

Ahead of the sicko’s release, Michelle, who works with other sex abuse survivors, told of her ongoing trauma after The Irish Sun on Sunday contacted her about Cooke’s impending freedom.

She said: “He’s not my brother, he’s a paedophile and a monster.

“The Prison Service have told me that he’s being released and it is causing me to have flashbacks, great anxiety and genuine concern.

“In my view, he will always be a danger to children because he was a professional groomer.

“My evidence convicted him and he knows where I live — what’s to stop him coming to my house?

“I knew where he was these last ten years but when he’s released he could go anywhere.”

PLACED ON SEX REGISTER

When released, Cooke has to notify Gardai of his new address.

He will also be placed on the sex offenders register for life.

And if he fails to notify Gardai of his location, he will then face new charges.

Cooke will also be ordered not to have any contact with his sister.

Before his release, Michelle also took a civil case against him to prevent him accessing funds from the sale of their family home.

‘PREDATOR WILL NEVER CHANGE’

Michelle added: “I’m speaking out now because children have to be protected.

“I stood up against evil but I would hate to bump into him in a shop. He has never shown any remorse for what he did to me.”

She added that “a predator like him will never change”.

Michelle continued: “I trust that the authorities will be monitoring him because I have no doubt that my brother still poses a significant risk to children.”

“The Prison Service have told me that he’s being released and it is causing me to have flashbacks, great anxiety and genuine concern.”

Michelle Cooke

The abuse survivor also remains convinced her older sibling has targeted other children in the south Dublin area in the past.

‘DON’T SUFFER IN SILENCE’

She added that if Cooke “has targeted other young potential victims over the years, I would ask them to come forward”.

She said: “They shouldn’t have to suffer in silence.

“I will be really shocked if there are no other victims.”

Michelle also told The Irish Sun on Sunday: “I’m trying to get my life back and want to be a voice for others.

‘IT WAS HORRIFIC’

“When I was on the stand it was horrific — it was the worst thing I’ve ever had to do, but it was worth it.

“Sibling abuse is like a taboo subject but people need to talk about it.”

The sex attack victim also paid tribute to Gardai for nailing the pervert.

The investigation into the case was run by Det Gda Dan Connell under the command of Det Supt Brian Sutton, now retired.

“In my view, he will always be a danger to children because he was a professional groomer.”

Michelle Cooke

Michelle said: “Gardai did a superb job and it was great to have people finally believe me. They trusted me and they were there with me every step of the way.”

During Cooke’s sentencing for abusing his sister, Judge Martin Nolan said: “What makes the offence incredibly serious was the number of times he has sexually assaulted his young sister.”

He told the paedo: “You were an adult and she was a child. You must have known what you were doing was wrong and you continued to do it.”

And in sentencing Cooke for abusing the two boys, Judge Patricia Ryan described his crimes as “very, very serious”.

Garrett White - The Sun Dublin

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Phuket has achieved a Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous stir-fry of Hokkien noodles, highlighting this year’s Phuket Peranakan Festival. The record-breaking event occurred yesterday, June 22, at Saphan Hin, local officials confirmed. The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO), in collaboration with Phuket City Municipality, the Peranakan Association of Thailand, the Thailand Convention and …

The story Phuket sets world record with largest Hokkien noodle stir-fry as seen on Thaiger News.

Police today, June 23, arrested a Taiwanese man following his violent rampage at a condominium in Pattaya. Officers confiscated drugs and weapons from his room, where a Thai party entertainer was also found under the influence of drugs. Officers from the Chon Buri Provincial Immigration Bureau and Mueang Pattaya Police Station responded to an incident …

The story Taiwanese man arrested after rampage with drugs and weapons in Pattaya as seen on Thaiger News.

The deal is almost in place.

LOTTO RESULT TODAY June 23, 2025 – The latest Philippine Lotto results today were announced by the Philippine Charity

ILKAY GUNDOGAN struck twice as Manchester City booked their place in the last 16 in emphatic fashion.

However, Pep Guardiola’s men will now need to beat Juventus in Orlando on Thursday to avoid a likely last 16 meeting with old foes Real Madrid.

Reuters

Ilkay Gundogan led the way with a brace as Man City beat Al Ain 6-0[/caption]

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But it was youngsters Claudio Echeverri who really turned on the style[/caption]

Reuters

Erling Haaland netted a penalty before the break to make it 3-0[/caption]

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He then turned provider to set up Rayan Cherki’s goal which made it 6-0[/caption]

AFP

It is a possible glimpse of what is to come next season[/caption]

WATCH EVERY MATCH OF THE CLUB WORLD CUP 2025 LIVE ON DAZN

The Italian giants are top on goal difference going into the final Group G fixture – so only a win ensures top spot in the group for City.

Former skipper Gundo is being linked with a move to Galatasaray, but put speculation to one side to spearhead this easy win.

Erling Haaland, Claudio Echeverri, Oscar Bobb and new boy Rayan Cherki were also on the mark at the home of the Atlanta Falcons.

And the victory – plus a safe passage into the knockout round – banks another £7 million into the Etihad coffers.

For the second time in this tournament, City struck early against one of the outsiders – taking the lead in the eighth minute.

Gundogan clipped a ball to the back post – aiming for Haaland – but the ball looped over keeper Khalid Eissa and dropped in.

If the German meant it, then it was a stroke of genius but his cheeky grin as he celebrated suggested otherwise.

Al Ain could have hit straight back as Nico Gonzalez lost possession –  but Stefan Ortega had to make a full stretch save to deny Nassim Chadli.

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

And it proved a costly miss as City edged further ahead when Argentine kid Claudio Echeverri curled home a 20 yard free kick.

The January arrival from River Plate has been likened to Lionel Messi in his homeland – and it was the kind of goal the little maestro would have been happy with.

Now it was a question of how many as Haaland dispossessed Park Yong Woo and went round the keeper but the angle was tight and he slid his effort wide of the far post.

And a header from Josko Gvardiol from a Bernardo Silva corner beat the Al Ain keeper but bounced off the post.

Finally, the Norwegian did get on the scoresheet after Manuel Akanji was bundled over in the box by Rami Rabia – and the ref gave a pen after a VAR check.

Haaland surprisingly gave up penalty-taking duties in the FA Cup final – only for Omar Marmoush to miss – but he was back on them here and found the bottom corner.

City knew only a victory by seven goals would put them above Juventus – their final group opponents in Orlando on Thursday.

Top spot could be crucial with the runners up likely to be paired with Real Madrid in the last 16.

But the Abu Dhabi side stood firm as both Matheus Nunes and Haaland went close.

Gundogan did make it four when he ran onto a pass from Bernardo and dinked his effort over Eissa.

And Bobb – who missed almost all of last season with injury – cut in from the right to send a low shot past the keeper.

New signing from Lyon Cherki took a pass from Haaland before thumping home a low shot to complete the rout.

However, the seventh goal – which would have seen them overtake Juve on goal difference – just eluded them.

Watch EVERY match of the Club World Cup 2025 live on DAZN

A MISSING cop who was off duty when he vanished has been found dead at a nature reserve.

Charlie Mitchell, a West Yorkshire Police officer, was off duty when he was reported missing from home in Leeds on Saturday night.

West Yorkshire Police

Charlie Mitchell, a West Yorkshire Police officer, was off duty when he was reported missing[/caption]

© YappApp

Officers had been carrying out a search of St Aidan’s Nature Reserve in Leeds when they found his body[/caption]

Police said there were concerns for the 26-year-old’s welfare.

Officers had been carrying out a search of St Aidan’s Nature Reserve in Leeds when they found his body at about 5.30pm on Sunday.

There are no suspicious circumstances and the Coroner’s Office has been informed.  

PC Mitchell was a Patrol officer based at Halifax.

Assistant Chief Constable Robert McCoubrey said: “Charlie’s death in these circumstances is absolutely tragic, and we offer our sincere condolences to his family and will be continuing to give them all the support we can at this very difficult time.  

“His death has also come as a terrible shock to his colleagues in Calderdale District and the wider West Yorkshire Police family and we will be making sure that all necessary support is in place for everyone who worked with him or knew him.”