METRO Friday, December 18, 2009 D Stephens Green Shopping Centre Tel: (01) 478-5336 Better than Newry Prices! Spend 25 and get a 25 off voucher 25 voucher* to spend in 2010 when you spend 25 or more on Jewellery this Christmas *Terms and conditions apply. Ask in store for details Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer Less golfing as sports hit by downturnBY ROSS McDONAGHTHE recession has had a major impact the numbers taking part in sports, with golf and the gym hardest hit, a study has found. The Irish Sports Monitor for 2008 re- vealed active participation in sport among adults fell by a significant two per cent last year, down from 32.9 per cent to 30.8 per cent. The Irish Sports Council claimed there is very strong evidence to suggest the re- cession was behind the fact that one in 16 sports participants in 2007 were no longer participating in 2008. The decline was most concentrated among lower-income households, and the sharpest fall coincided with the steep drop in consumer spending in early 2008. Indi- vidual sports including golf and exercise activities such as the gym, which tend to be more expensive, saw the biggest drop. John Treacy, Irish Sports Council chief executive, said: We are aware of the very strong link between income and participa- tion. In 2008, that has translated into a fall in the amount of sport played. Author of the report, ESRI economist Dr Pete Lunn, added: Sport is very im- portant for overall physical activity, which is linked to better health and the preven- tion of serious disease. Swimming is once more the most popu- lar sports activity, having been replaced for a time by personal exercise activity. Attendances at sporting events were also down, from 16.7 per cent to 15 per cent. CARLA BRUNI has dentures and is too tall for husband Nicolas Sarkozy. Well, thats the opinion of some schoolchildren she met. One boy who got up close to the French first lady said she had false teeth, while another said shes much taller than her husband. A BUMBLING burglar whose accomplice brought a van full of stolen plumbing goods to a halt outside a garda station, with the stolen items falling out the back door, has been given a suspended sentence. Judge Katherine Delahunt told Wayne Brennan, 25, of St Ronans Avenue, Clondalkin, who pleaded guilty to the burglary on March 3, 2006: To say this offence was amateurish would be an understatement. No jail for amateur thief THE Government is to examine how vital grants to Protestant secondary schools could be reinstated. Education Minister Batt OKeeffe revealed payments to fee-paying schools could be restructured after he held talks with the Royal Black Institution in Dublin. The group claims up to a dozen Protestant-managed secondary schools face closure within the next three years if plans to cut 2.8million in grants goes ahead. School grant restructure A US multi-national firm yesterday revealed plans to open its international business hub in Dublin with the creation of 50 jobs. Maxim Integrated Products said staff numbers will increase to more than 100 over the next two years as its customer services operation expands. Elsewhere, Aer Lingus announced 96 former SRT employees will transfer to a newly established subsidiary to provide maintenance on its fleet. Jobs boost for capital A HEROIN addict who mugged a 66-year-old woman has been given a three-year sentence. Niall Darcy, 33, from Deanstown Park, Finglas, pleaded guilty to robbing the womans handbag and its contents on Connaught Street in Phibsboro in February 2008. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard he had left his family home after he started abusing heroin a year earlier. Judge Katherine Delahunt imposed a three-year sentence but suspended the final 18 months on strict conditions. 3 years for bag robbery THE countrys largest health insurer, VHI, is set to lose more than 80million this year. Chief executive Jimmy Tolan, addressing the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children, added that by the end of this year the semi-state firm will have lost 120,000 subscribers. These levels of losses are unsustainable, he said. It comes after the Health Insurance Authority last month revealed numbers covered by private insurance continues to fall. VHI will lose 80million METRODigest Student donations to DITs Christmas fundraising campaign in aid of St Vincent de Paul have this year increased by 400 per cent. Pictured at the Aungier Street campus were Ruth Dunne and Elisabeth Molone Picture: Conor McCabe coLLege coLLection Dublin gang boss guilty of murder A DUBLIN gang leader and convicted drug dealer has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a rival gang member in August 2001. Brian Rattigan, 28, a leader of one of the feuding Crumlin-Drimnagh crime gangs, was found guilty of the murder of Declan Gavin outside a fast food restaurant in Crumlin. Rattigan, of Cooley Road, Drimnagh, had pleaded not guilty. When asked by garda where he was on the night of the stabbing, Rattigan said he was with a married woman but refused to reveal her name. When it was put to him that a lot of people witnessed the stabbing that night, he said: They can say what they like, but they will have to say it all in court. Mr Justice George Birmingham imposed the mandatory life sentence on Rattigan, who responded: OK, Your Honour. The judge thanked the jury for serving on a case of particular difficulty and sensitivity. It took the seven men and four women more than eleven hours to return the guilty verdict. Calling all snooze button fans, late night revellers and morning malingerers! Now youll never have to worry about missing another Metro again. Because your morning Metro Moment can now be delivered directly to your inbox, with all your favourite daily news, entertainment, sports and features. It couldnt be simpler to sign up and its totally free! You can even share with friends and colleagues at the touch of a button. Sign up today at www.e-metro.ie * Terms & conditions apply. Contact Metro Ireland for full details: (01) 637 5900 index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html