Ring gets junior sports post

FINE GAEL TD, Michael Ring, was yesterday unveiled as junior minister for Tourism and Sport.

The announcement will have no repercussions for sport’s place at the cabinet table, which is crucial for its hopes of maintaining its voice in the corridors of power and its current levels of funding, which has already been affected by the economic downturn.

Ring is from Westport. A former auctioneer, he won an All-Ireland Vocational Schools football medal with Mayo. He has been a Dáil Deputy since 1994 and has served as party spokesperson on health and children in the past.