Heinrich Malan has stood down as head coach of Ireland’s men’s cricket team, less than 24 hours after the historic Twenty20 series win over world champions India.
The South African will leave as part of what Cricket Ireland says as a “planned transition”, and a new head coach is set to be in place for a five-game one-day international series with Afghanistan in August.
The 45-year-old has been in charge of Ireland since 2022 and his final game was a dramatic one-run victory over India to clinch the T20 series on Sunday in Belfast, which followed a first-ever victory over the world champions in any format on Friday.
Ireland won the second T20 by one run over India, who did not hand a debut to teen sensation Sooryavanshi.
Published On 28 Jun 202628 Jun 2026
Ireland have secured a landmark series win over T20 world champions India in Belfast with a tense one-run victory after India again denied teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a debut.
Harry Tector marked his 100th T20 international appearance with a fine 50, as Ireland recovered from a slow start to post 154-8 at Stormont.
India-born Jai Moondra, who struck with his first ball in international cricket on Friday, had Sanju Samson lbw off the first ball of India’s chase.
He also dismissed Abhishek Sharma in the same over, before soon removing India captain Shreyas Iyer.
India regrouped after a rain delay, with Tilak Varma making 55 and Harshit Rana 21 late on, but that was not enough, as they finished on 153-9.
India’s 15-year-old batting prodigy Sooryavanshi forced his way into the squad for the white-ball tours of Ireland and England following several stunning displays in the 20-overs-per-side Indian Premier League.
Sooryavanshi emerged as the leading run-scorer in this season’s edition after amassing 776 runs for the Rajasthan Royals, a tally that included one century and five fifties.
But as had been the case in the first of the two-match series on Friday, when Ireland won by 34 runs for their first international men’s win over India in any format, the rising star was left out.
Sooryavanshi’s next chance to make an international debut will come in Wednesday’s first T20 against England at Chester-le-Street, the headquarters of county side Durham.
Philip Doyle, who led Ireland to the Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam as head coach in 2013, has died aged 61.
He had two spells in the role, leading the side for three years after being appointed as Kevin West’s successor in 2003 before returning in 2010.
Doyle enjoyed success in the second stint as he steered Ireland to a first Six Nations Grand Slam in 2013, a first win over New Zealand and a fourth-placed finish at the 2014 World Cup.
He stood down after that tournament and went on to take over as Scotland women’s boss in 2019, but left that role a year later due to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also had spells coaching Blackrock College women’s team and Ulster Rugby’s women’s team.
Leading tributes, Blackrock College said there was “profound sadness” and described Doyle, affectionately known as ‘Goose’, as “the most influential coach in the history of women’s rugby”.
The club added: “At Blackrock, Goose was far more than a list of achievements. He was a mentor, a friend, a storyteller, and a constant source of encouragement.
“He cared deeply about the people he coached. He gave players confidence, challenged them to be better, and reminded everyone around him why rugby is such a special game.”
“Few people have done more to advance the women’s game in Ireland and fewer still have done it with such charisma, warmth, humility and generosity of spirit.”
England did not want to go through the play-offs but were given an unkind draw in the qualifying groups when they met world champions Spain.
It does mean, however, that Sarina Wiegman’s side are in a strong position for the play-offs and will fancy their chances with a kind trip to Greece in October.
They beat potential round two opponents Ukraine in both matches in the qualifying group stage, which will give them confidence too.
There is a tricky tie for Northern Ireland, who come up against a talented young squad from Portugal in round one. Portugal twice beat Northern Ireland in Euro 2025 qualifying.
Their task gets trickier if they make it through to round two with potential opponents Iceland proving to be difficult to break down in their matches against England this year.
Scotland are hoping to reach just their second Women’s World Cup finals having failed to qualify in 2023.
They performed well in this year’s qualifying group stages, including draws with Belgium that showed they can compete with Europe’s strongest teams.
They will need to produce their best in round two if they meet big-hitters Sweden, who have been semi-finalists in the past two Women’s World Cup finals.
Wales have never beaten a top-20 ranked nation in a competitive fixture and are likely to need to do so to qualify – and their away form needs improvement.
But Rhian Wilkinson’s side face familiar opponents in round one. They thrashed Albania 4-0 in their qualifying group so who says they can’t do it again?
Meanwhile, having performed superbly in qualifying, the Republic of Ireland have a tricky play-off route with established European opposition Belgium potentially waiting in round two.
First, Carly Ward’s side will have to navigate a 3,100-mile trip to Kazakhstan, against relatively unknown opposition.
The sense of anticipation felt by Ireland supporters about the start of the inaugural Nations Championship ramped up a degree or two on Wednesday when head coach Andy Farrell named his 36-man squad for the three matches his side will play in July.
Farrell’s selection for the games against Australia, Japan and New Zealand in July features three players who have yet to win their first caps, all three of those Connacht forwards.
Props Billy Bohan and Sam Illo, along with back row Sean Jansen, are part of the group which will travel to Sydney on Monday to begin their preparation for the three Test matches in the southern hemisphere.
The call-ups reflect the excellent form shown by Connacht in the latter half of the season particularly, as a run of positive results by Stuart Lancaster’s team’s moved them into eighth in the United Rugby Championship table, and thereby progressing to the end-of-season play-offs and qualify for next season’s Champions Cup.
In total, six Connacht players have been named with Darragh Murray, Cian Prendergast and Bundee Aki also having been chosen.
The inclusion of front-rowers Illo and Bohan owes much to the unavailability of injured Leinster props Andrew Porter, Jack Boyle and Paddy McCarthy, but both will be keen to make the most of the opportunity afforded to them.
With the opening fixture with the Wallabies in Sydney on 4 July, BBC Sport NI takes a closer look at the credentials of the uncapped trio in the Ireland squad.
England’s late wobble, in which Kemp was run out for two, comes with the caveat of the confusion caused by Sciver-Brunt’s retirement.
Earlier, faced with a low total, Wyatt-Hodge and Jones continued to attack but chipped catches to the ring for 16 and nine respectively. Capsey was bowled by a fine yorker by Orla Prendergast for five.
Afterwards, Sciver-Brunt and Knight’s composed partnership steered England to the brink of victory, until Knight was pinned lbw by Prendergast for 26.
The only England player who had a real off day was seamer Lauren Bell. She conceded a boundary with the first delivery of Ireland’s innings and was hit for four fours by Louise Little in a final over that cost 17 and boosted Ireland’s score.
In between, Ireland were unable to counter as England mixed spin with seam through the middle. Sophie Ecclestone took three wickets and Dani Gibson and Dean two apiece, as England dominated much of Ireland’s innings of 118-9.
Dean bowled accurately and found turn to induce false shots with 36% of her deliveries.
Ecclestone mixed her pace to have Rebecca Stokell stumped with a quicker ball and Arlene Kelly and Cara Murray gave looping catches and Gibson, who took 2-10 in two overs, had Ireland’s Prendergast bowled via an inside edge for 25.
Ireland, who limped on from 57-5, have now lost 19 T20 World Cup matches from 19, but this performance was more encouraging than Saturday’s defeat by Scotland.
They were good with the ball, but did not have enough runs to defend.
After topscoring with the bat for Scotland, Kathryn Bryce makes an impact with the ball, taking a superb one-handed catch to remove Ireland’s Alana Dalzell for six in their opening match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at Old Trafford.
Wales pairing Jonny Clayton and Nick Kenny continued their impressive start to the World Cup of Darts with a resounding victory over Group C opponents Thailand in Frankfurt, Germany.
Having had to go through group qualifying after Gerwyn Price withdrew, the new Wales pairing opened their campaign by thumping Lithuania 4-1, and then followed that up on Friday by beating Thailand by the same score.
The Welsh duo topped their group to book a Saturday afternoon tie at the Eissporthalle against USA.
Hosts Germany again impressed with a 4-2 win over New Zealand as Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko secured their place in the second round where they will play the Czech Republic.
Republic of Ireland’s William O’Connor and Mickey Mansell clinched top spot in Group D by beating Gibraltar’s Craig Galliano and Justin Hewitt 4-2, earning a tie against Poland.
The top ranked nations – including England, Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland – enter the tournament in the second round.
England pair Luke Littler and Luke Humphries – the top seeds – face Spain, while defending champions Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney begin their title defence against Belgium.
Scotland duo Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies face Norway, while Netherlands pairing Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen take on Sweden.
France against Latvia completes the round two fixtures.
It would be fitting if Ireland’s first win in the T20 World Cup came against the Scots given they denied the Irish a place in the tournament two years ago as they pulled off a shock victory to reach the tournament for the first time.
Lewis said there was “major heartbreak” in the Ireland camp after that sore defeat that forced the squad to have to watch the World Cup from home.
Ireland are in a better place now and come into the tournament off the back of a productive Tri-Nations series in Clontarf where they beat both Pakistan and the West Indies.
“The series was a great success, we’ve got the results behind us. Confidence is high and that’s exactly what you want going into a World Cup,” Lewis added.
Lloyd Tennant’s side are ranked ninth in the world but are in a tough Group B which also has hosts England, holders New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies alongside the Scots.
They will face all five sides with the top two in the group moving through to the semi-finals where they will face the top two from Group A.
Scotland won by 39 runs the last time the two sides met in Nepal in January and Lewis believes getting off to a good start in their first game is “massive” for Ireland in terms of momentum.
“There’s a big rivalry between us and them. They’ve probably got one up on us at the moment after beating us in Nepal. I think we’re looking good and we’re really excited for it.
“They’ve got a new addition in Kirsty Gordon [a former England spinner] which is a boost for them.
“If we get the win, then you never know against England.”
Three wins and three defeats to finish third in their qualifying group may not look like much, but there is plenty for Republic of Ireland to be proud of in how they navigated what many said was the ‘group of death’ in League A.
The bottom seeds, who had only won promotion to League A with a last-gasp goal against Belgium in a promotion/relegation play-off last year, were tipped to go straight back down to League B when they were drawn against France, Netherlands and Poland.
Manager Carla Ward always said they wanted to aim as high as possible, and while they fell short of scaling their Everest by narrowly losing to France in their final qualifier to miss out on automatic World Cup qualification, they still have a chance to reach next year’s tournament in Brazil.
They became the first side promoted to League A not to be relegated straight back down and the first to pick up not just two but three wins in the top tier, including that sensational win over Netherlands in Cork on Friday.
Their third-place finish has secured a seeded play-off in the autumn and they will be the team many will want to avoid when the draw is made on 18 June given how they have shocked Poland twice and the Netherlands and run France ever so close.
Ward’s overriding feelings when speaking to RTE were pride tinged with pain that they couldn’t get over the line, although she was philosophical in how far they have come and how far they can go.
“I’m incredibly proud of this group and I said it to them there. We’ve got a special, special group who work unbelievably hard. It shows you everything, the [French] scenes at the end, they didn’t have it easy tonight,” she said.
“France are a top, top side and the fact we are here disappointed tells you an awful lot about where we are.
“You can take so many positives. This campaign we have grown and got better and better. Whether we had won, drawn or lost tonight we wanted to continue on the journey. We are in a really good place going into October and that has to be the focus.”
Watch the best of the action as Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise scores a hat-trick in France’s 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland in their final World Cup warm-up match in Lille.
The Football Association of Ireland [FAI] says it will “continue to meet to discuss the operational aspects” of hosting Israel in the Nations League.
On Monday, RTE reported, external the game, scheduled for Dublin on 4 October, is set to be moved to a neutral venue pending Uefa approval – seven days after the teams meet at a neutral venue for Israel’s home Group B3 fixture.
A number of protests in the Republic of Ireland have taken place calling for the team to boycott the fixtures because of the ongoing situation in the Middle East.
In February, the FAI confirmed the team will fulfil the fixtures as “Uefa regulations outline that if an association refuses to play a match then that fixture will be forfeited and further disciplinary measures may follow – including potential disqualification from the competition”.
An announcement on the issue was expected on Monday, but with the Republic of Ireland women’s crunch World Cup qualifier against France in Grenoble on Tuesday, the FAI has said it “will not be releasing a statement on any decision on this matter until after the board meeting scheduled for 11 June, due to the hugely significant game taking place on Tuesday for our women’s national team”.
It looks increasingly likely both games against Israel will now take place on neutral territory, with the FAI stressing its decision will not be swayed by outside opinions.
“The association reiterates that it is the responsibility of the board of the FAI to protect the future interests of football in Ireland,” the statement added.
“Any decision around the game is solely a matter for the association.”
‘If you take all these springs together in terms of flow, it’s by far the largest in Ireland, and one of the biggest systems in the world,” said Dr Benjamin Thébaudeau, geologist for the newly designated Unesco Joyce Country and Western Lakes Geopark in western Ireland.
Over a few days, I discovered that this massive system of limestone springs and caves is the engine that drives this landscape, in the same way as an underground train network powers a city. It’s a place where rivers disappear into limestone fissures and subterranean lakes, and where roads twist through drowned valleys beneath mountains shaped by fire and ice.
It’s also the dreamy, lush landscape of western Ireland that famously drew Hollywood to the village of Cong for The Quiet Man in 1952. Travelling through the geopark from the heart of County Galway into southern County Mayo, I based myself in Cong, which is effectively an inland island between Lough Mask and Lough Corrib. The village takes its name from the Irish for “narrows”, a reference to its tight, water-bound geography and the concentration of springs that rise and fall invisibly beneath the surface.
Water is everywhere and rarely still. It drains from Lough Mask through swallow holes before travelling unseen for miles through limestone fissures beneath Cong, eventually forcing its way back to the surface as cold springs around the village.
“If you look in the centre, you can see the current flowing in opposite directions,” Benjamin says, pointing beyond the interpretive boards towards the channels where he first noticed the phenomenon. “We call it the Hatchery because of its connection to wild fish, and the springs bubble up there, right in the middle.”
John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in John Ford’s 1952 film The Quiet Man, filmed in County Mayo. Photograph: TCD/DB/Alamy
Yet I quickly realised that it is not only the geopark’s karst terrain and glacial valleys that give it such distinct character. At its core sits a living Gaeltacht where Irish is still spoken in daily life, embedded in place names, local conversation and nightly sessions at the third-generation Burke’s Bar (Tí Bhúrca) in nearby Clonbur. The language runs through the landscape as another ingrained system alongside rock, water and soil.
The Augustinian abbey at Cong was founded under Gaelic royal patronage, yet its surviving stone arches reflect the deep architectural imprint left by later Norman reconstruction. In the 12th century, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair (anglicised to Rory O’Connor), the last high king of Ireland, spent his final 15 years within these walls following political collapse in Connacht, seeking a quiet sanctuary where the river meets the woods. Centuries later, the tides of power shifted brutally under Tudor administration. The abbey was suppressed, and Sir Richard Bingham, the notorious lord president of Connacht, turned Ashford Castle into a menacing administrative hub, temporarily pulling the region’s political gravity to Cong before authority drifted westward once more. The castle was bought in 1852 by the Guinness family with proceeds from the global flow of the black stuff. They transformed the medieval ruins into a grand Victorian hunting lodge, the luxury retreat we see today.
Like the landscape of the geopark itself, these stone landmarks remain, but they constantly change their form, mirroring the fluid cultural afterlife of Cong village. At The Quiet Man Museum, curator Lisa Collins spoke of the enduring pull of John Ford’s film. Honeymooning visitors still arrive dressed as Sean Thornton (played by John Wayne) and Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O’Hara), she said, stepping into a version of Ireland that has long outlived the production and indeed the country itself. The museum has been designated a Treasure of European Film Culture by the European Film Academy, with plans to mark the 75th anniversary of the film in Cong next year.
The Quiet Man cottage museum; Cong, Co Mayo. Photograph: Image Source Limited/Alamy
Among the exhibits is the fishing rod used by the village priest during filming on the River Cong. Held for decades by the family of sound man Thomas A Carman before its donation to the museum, the prop brings one of the movie’s most famous comedic exchanges into the room. In that celebrated scene, Mary Kate speaks in the Irish language to Father Peter Lonergan as he casts for a legendary, elusive salmon. Standing by the water, she desperately explains that she has refused to consummate the marriage while her husband sleeps in a “mála codlata”, which translates as sleeping bag.
The language allows the exchange to move into a different register, beneath the radar of 1952 censorship, yet fully understood within the Gaeltacht where the film was shot. It functions as a form of cover, allowing meaning to sit just beneath the surface.
That subterranean world becomes tangible at the Pigeon Hole cave system just outside the village. The entrance drops steeply into the limestone through shiny, time-worn steps, leading into a narrow chasm. Below, a shallow underground river moves through darkness, untouched by sunlight.
It is here that the legend of the White Trout of Cong gathers around the water. The story tells of a young woman who vanished following the murder of her lover, only for a pure white trout to appear in the cave soon afterwards. It’s reminiscent of Father Lonergan’s mythical fish in The Quiet Man, and like everything here in Joyce Country and the Western Lakes, it’s part myth and part truth.
Benjamin notes that elements of the legend may not be entirely detached from observation. Fish living for generations in complete darkness can lose pigmentation over time, becoming pale or entirely white as a result of their environment. In that sense, the story does not sit apart from geology. Another truth is that fishing remains central here, both as practice and inheritance.
The ruined house and estate of MP and wine merchant George Henry Moore, who fed and saved his tenants from starvation during the great famine. Photograph: Eimantas Juskevicius/Alamy
Near Ashford Castle, a salmon hatchery attempts to support declining wild populations. The cold water that springs from the lakes should sustain fish stocks, but there are increasing environmental pressures.
“Maybe we are fighting a losing battle,” Benjamin said.
Climate change, warming seas and mounting pressure on river systems are all affecting wild Atlantic salmon. Trout remain more resilient, spending their lives within local waters such as Loughs Mask and Corrib rather than migrating out to sea.
Yet as the modern environment shifts, the landscape continues to hold older histories at different depths. Further inland at Carnacon, the ruins of the grand Moore Hall estate rise above Lough Carra from within encroaching woodland. One of the few Catholic-owned landed estates of its period, the house became associated with the great famine-era MP George Henry Moore and his colourful descendants, including the writer George Augustus Moore. Today, it sits partially collapsed since its destruction during the civil war, though the surrounding woods have absorbed rather than erased it. Paths thread through what was once a carefully controlled demesne, slipping into places where the estate’s geometry still survives beneath moss and root.
Not far away in Ballinrobe, another form of historical memory settles into language itself. It was here that Captain Charles Boycott, land agent for Lord Erne, became the focus of organised worker resistance during the land war in 1879. His name entered the global vocabulary as a verb, detached from its local origins yet still rooted in this terrain of contested land and memory. Moore Hall and Ballinrobe sit only a short distance apart, but together they reveal different expressions of the same pressures: ownership, resistance, inheritance, and the slow reshaping of meaning through time.
Further west, in Connemara, the landscape shifts dramatically once more as it reaches towards the Atlantic. At Killary Fjord, the land suddenly opens into deep water, a glacial incision dividing Connemara from Mayo. Here, the landscape’s buried secrets become visible. The fjord exposes geology directly, revealing the force with which ice once carved through the earth.
Lough Mask in County Mayo. Photograph: David Lyons/Alamy
To the south, Kylemore Abbey appears against the hillside above Pollacappul Lough. Built first as a private residence before later becoming a Benedictine monastery, it carries another layered story of adaptation and loss. Like Moore Hall, it reflects changing ownership and identity, though here the landscape mirrors it back perfectly in the still water.
Across these places, from Cong to Moore Hall, from Ballinrobe to Killary, patterns continue to repeat in altered forms. Water disappears underground before resurfacing elsewhere. Estates become ruins. Ruins become woodland. Language carries meanings beneath meanings. Stories survive by changing shape.
Returning again to Cong, I have a better understanding of how it forms part of a much larger system of geological flow, historical pressure and cultural inheritance. What holds this region together is not stillness, but movement beneath the surface.
And above Lough Nafooey (also called Lough Finny), not far from the hairpin bends etched into the volcanic ash surface of Aill Dubh (Black Cliff), long after the road narrows into silence once again, a cuckoo’s call crosses the hills, marking time in a landscape that never quite repeats itself in the same way twice.
Accommodation was provided by Michaeleen’s Manor B&B in Cong, County Mayo (twins and doubles €115 B&B, singles €70), and the Leenane Hotel in County Galway (doubles from €120 B&B)
Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has received his first international call-up by making the India T20 squad to tour England and Ireland.
If he plays, the 15-year-old would break Sachin Tendulkar’s record as the youngest man to play for India. Tendulkar was 16 years and 205 days when he played a one-day international against Pakistan in 1989.
The call-up comes on the back of Sooryavanshi ‘s stunning Indian Premier League campaign, where he scored 776 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 237.30 for the Rajasthan Royals.
The left-hander was named the IPL’s Most Valuable Player and also picked up the emerging player award and the Orange Cap, given to the highest run-scorer.
“We’ve seen what he can do, almost single-handedly carrying Rajasthan Royals towards the play-offs,” said selection panel chairman Ajit Agarkar.
“He had a great start and backed it up in a competition that is as competitive and high-pressure. He’s a game-changer. We’ve got high hopes of him. He has picked himself.”
India play two matches in Ireland later this month, then five T20s in England in July.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer has been named as the new captain, replacing Suryakumar Yadav, who has been dropped from the squad.
Suryakumar led India to victory at the T20 World Cup in March but the 35-year-old struggled with the bat at the tournament and at the recent IPL.
“It’s a tough one, having just won the World Cup, but as happens after most World Cups, you try to reassess what your best way forward is,” Agarkar said explaining Yadav’s omission.
“We thought this was the best way forward.”
Shreyas has not played a T20 international since 2023 but he led the Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and captained Punjab Kings to a runners-up finish in 2025.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya have been rested, with uncapped fast bowler Prince Yadav called up.
Full squad
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Irish Taoiseach Martin says the far-right ministers have shown ‘a desire to see the elimination of Palestinians from Palestine’.
Published On 5 Jun 20265 Jun 2026
Ireland has barred Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, from visiting the country, citing their conduct towards pro-Palestinian activists and support for policies that would displace Palestinians from their homeland.
Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheal Martin – known as the Taoiseach – confirmed the move on Friday, saying the two far-right ministers had advocated positions that amounted to “a desire to see the elimination of Palestinians from Palestine”.
Martin also referenced the treatment of pro-Palestinian activists who were part of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month.
Ben-Gvir provoked widespread condemnation when he shared video of himself mocking the detained activists as they knelt on the floor, blindfolded, with their hands bound.
In a statement, Ireland’s justice ministry said Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan had instructed immigration officers to refuse entry to Ben-Gvir and Smotrich should they seek to enter the state.
Ben-Gvir became a minister in 2022, after an alliance with Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionist party came third in legislative elections.
Smotrich, who himself lives on an illegal Israeli settlement, has been a vocal advocate of Israel annexing the occupied West Bank, saying he hopes to “kill the idea” of a Palestinian state.
Together, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich form a cornerstone of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.
‘Justifies EU sanctions’
Addressing Ireland’s travel ban at a summit in Montenegro, Martin said the two Israeli ministers should also be subject to EU sanctions.
“In my view, their behaviour justifies sanctions at EU level as well, and that’s something that we will raise, whether we can get sufficient support across the European Union is a different matter,” Martin was quoted by Irish broadcaster RTE.
Since Israel’s genocidal attacks on Gaza, Ireland has been among the most outspoken critics of Israel.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have faced bans from other European countries over their conduct, including Britain, Spain and Slovenia. Last month, France banned Ben-Gvir from entry.
Swansea City midfielder Ethan Galbraith said his calf injury is “all good” after being included in Northern Ireland’s squad for friendlies with Guinea and France.
Galbraith had not played since the friendly draw with Wales at the end of March, which came after Northern Ireland’s World Cup play-off defeat by Italy.
In April, Swansea boss Victor Matos said he would prefer the 24-year-old was rested for June’s international window, but Galbraith said he had conversations with his club manager and the medical team.
Having missed the remainder of Swansea’s Championship campaign, Galbraith said he had been “ticked off” by the club’s medical team to link up with Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland face Guinea in Spain on Thursday before facing France in Les Bleus’ World Cup send-off in Lille on 8 June.
“I’m happy to able to come to camp”, Galbraith said.
“I spent six or seven weeks just with a physio, so that was quite long just training by myself but it is all good now.
“When you spend time off the pitch it’s obviously frustrating. So having these games is absolutely brilliant for everyone, but coming off the back of an injury, it’ll be good to get back out there.”
After an impressive first season at Swansea, where he has been deployed at right back as well as in midfield, Galbaith has been linked with a move to the Premier League, as well as Championship rivals Wrexham, but he says his focus is on his current club.
“It’s nice when you see people are saying that you are doing good things, but at the moment I’m a Swansea player and will just try and focus on Swansea.”
Chelsea have had a long-term interest in McCabe, who was a fan of the club as a child. They held off competition to sign her from WSL champions Manchester City.
An approach was made by Chelsea for McCabe in 2015, but McCabe opted to join Arsenal. They reportedly attempted again in 2023, but their bid was rejected.
She was offered a contract renewal by Arsenal in April but decided to pursue other opportunities, with Chelsea and City having made their interest known.
McCabe played a key role as Arsenal won the Champions League in 2025 and she also has an FA Cup, three League Cups and one Champions Cup medal.
On the international scene, McCabe has made 105 appearances for the Republic of Ireland, netting 34 goals, and led them to their first World Cup in 2023.
She was the first Irish woman to receive a nomination for the Ballon d’Or awards in 2023, and the first player male or female from her nation since Roy Keane in 2000.
Now McCabe can look forward to joining a club who have been one of Arsenal’s biggest rivals – a side that she helped knock out of the Champions League quarter-finals in April.
During the second leg of that European tie, Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor was sent off as she vented her anger at a hair pull on Alyssa Thompson by McCabe.
McCabe’s arrival boosts a Chelsea squad bruised from missing out on the WSL title in the season just ended, and who are still chasing an elusive Champions League trophy.
Her addition to the squad is welcome given clubs are pursuing England left-back Niamh Charles, with Manchester City favourites to sign her.
England full-back Lucy Bronze is also out of contract with Chelsea this summer and has yet to confirm whether she has agreed an extension.
Weekly protests in Dublin are growing as people demand justice and accountability for Yves Sakila, a Congolese man who died after being restrained by security guards outside a shopping centre.
Aki has agreed a new one-year deal to stay with Connacht but there has not been any progress with Lowe, who is contracted by Leinster rather than an central contract with the Irish Rugby Football Union [IRFU].
Lowe did not make the squad for the Champions Cup final defeat by Bordeaux despite having returned from a hamstring injury sustained in the Six Nations win over England.
However, his two record-breaking tries on Saturday show he is still a threat when fit and available.
While Cullen declined to comment on his future, he did praise the impact Lowe has made since he moved to Ireland nine years ago.
“He’s been a great character in the group. Very, very different, you know, what he brings, great energy,” Cullen said after the game.
“Internally, we had a video there just in terms of some of the stuff that he’s done in a Leinster jersey over his career.
“There’s not many James Lowes running around the streets that we’ve come across so far. He’s been a great addition to the group over the years.”
Republic of Ireland midfielder Jamie McGrath says he expects the controversy surrounding the side’s upcoming Israel fixtures to “heat up” after Thursday’s friendly win over Qatar was disrupted.
The Aviva Stadium game – which the Republic of Ireland won 1-0 thanks to Nathan Collins’ early header – was twice briefly interrupted in the first half when home fans threw tennis balls featuring the Palestine flag on to the pitch.
After the game, RTE reported that protesters were ejected from the ground, and McGrath expects more backlash before the Republic of Ireland face Israel in a neutral venue on 27 September and 4 October in Dublin in the Nations League.
Earlier this week, Republic of Ireland stalwart Seamus Coleman said the situation “should have been dealt with above us”.
“I obviously listened to Seamus’ interview and I think he was spot on,” McGrath told BBC Sport NI.
“It’s obviously a unique scenario. The people [protesters], we have to listen to them, they have the right to do what they do, as long as it’s done in a peaceful way, that’s all that matters.
“I’m sure it’s going to heat up over the next few months. Like I said, we don’t want to be put into a position. Hopefully the powers above us can work something out or use it for the greater good, I’m not sure what the process will be as it heats up.
“At the end of the day, we’re footballers and we don’t want to be caught in this, but sometimes we might have to.”
New Zealand took control against Ireland on the second day of the one-off Test with Nathan Smith claiming an international career best of 6-40 at Stormont.
After recovering from a poor start on the first day to reach 361-5, the Black Caps continued in a similar vein on the second day in the Belfast sun, reaching 490-8 before captain Tom Latham declared.
New Zealand enforced the follow-on and Ireland’s response was dealt an early blow when Stephen Doheny and Cade Carmichael were dismissed in the first over and they then lost four more in quick succession after lunch as Smith claimed his first five-wicket haul.
Mark Adair and Andy McBrine steadied the ship, but Ireland were 179 all out before performing much better in the second innings as they ended the day on 65-2, trailing New Zealand by 246 runs.
The tourists enjoyed a strong start in the morning session as Tom Blundell and Dean Foxcroft built on their 58-run partnership from day one.
Blundell surpassed 150, while Foxcroft brought up his first Test half-century as they went beyond the 100-runs mark as a pair.
Ireland eventually got moving and took three quick wickets, including Blundell for 186 and Foxcroft, who fell two short of a first Test century.
Heinrich Malan’s side endured a disastrous start to their chase however, with Doheny and Carmichael dismissed by Smith in the second and sixth balls of the first over.
After lunch, Smith continued his fine run as he took the wickets of Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher and Lorcan Tucker while Harry Tector also fell before Adair and McBrine got Ireland back on track, steering them through to tea.
They brought up a 100-run partnership before Adair exited for 40 as Smith got a sixth wicket of the day.
Tom Mayes and Liam McCarthy then fell as Ireland faltered to finish 179 all out.
They fared better in the opening of their second innings, led by Doheny, but they still have a mountain to climb heading into day three.
“You’d take 98, its obviously better than a duck, I was so close to the century, but at the end of the day the team is in a great position to win this game,” Foxcroft told BBC Sport NI.
“In terms of the match, I’m delighted where we are at the moment. We’ve got eight more wickets to go and looking ahead to tomorrow morning, we are hoping we can put Ireland under pressure.
“For us enforcing the follow-on was all about momentum. We will want to try and finish the game off and then we can think about England next week.”
Ireland batting coach Gary Wilson added: “It was a really good spell from Nathan Smith, it asked us a lot of questions and I think you could see it’s a new ball wicket and you could see that in both innings.”
Play will resume at Stormont at 11:00 BST on Friday.
