Fr Brian D’Arcy: ‘Ryan Tubridy has been dumped by RTE in a place he doesn’t deserve to be’

In time, who was to blame for the mess created around his earnings will be revealed. From the outside, it’s beyond belief that any corporate group could imagine they could hide such a colossal sum of money, knowing that Ryan Tubridy is the most popular and highest-paid celebrity in RTE.

Corporate governance demands transparency and rightly so.

That RTE – funded by the public through the Licence Fee – should be involved in attempting to hide vital information is both unjustifiable and utterly foolish.

It makes me wonder if we can trust any of their figures now. How widespread are these dubious standards in RTE? How come the cover-up wasn’t uncovered until now?

Why was RTE so obtuse? By any standards, Ryan Tubridy was paid too much. However, we always knew he was paid enormous sums; would many have blinked an eyelid if another €75,000 a year was admitted to?

The whole incident has dumped Ryan Tubridy in a place he doesn’t deserve to be. Those who planned, approved or carried out this rouse should have known better.

Personally, I feel sorry for Ryan Tubridy. He has admitted he should have come clean about his earnings. He spent a lifetime gaining the trust of the nation. Now his fans feel let down because he didn’t pay enough attention to his bank account.

There is an argument that what he earns is his own business. On the other hand, his wages are ultimately paid by the licence payer. RTE relentlessly and publicly humiliates anyone caught not paying the licence fee. They show no mercy.

Ryan will find it hard to recover from this. I’m sad about that because I always found him to be pleasant, intelligent, genuine, helpful and welcoming. He is a rare talent who is admired by the BBC in London.

As usual in this country, when you’re down, the knives come out and the kicking starts.

People he helped quickly forget what he did for them. Few will stand with him in his hour of need; many will join in the frenzied moralising.

Actually, I believe Ryan should have moved away from the Late, Late and RTE years ago. He became too cosy, too tired, too predictable and too big for RTE.

That’s why I hope he’s given a chance to continue his career somewhere. He did nothing illegal even if it was highly imprudent.

To err is human; to forgive is divine. One of the consequences of eliminating God from society is that forgiveness no longer exists. Build them up to throw them overboard, is the rule of the jungle in Irish media circles.

However, I still believe in the God of second chances. I really want Ryan Tubridy to continue broadcasting.

He is much too talented to be dropped into fallen celebrities’ graves. I make no apology for saying that I will pray he gets the courage to ride out the storm; I want him to continue doing good for lost causes - as he has done for a decade or more.

Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Mistakes little or great, public or private, should be but a temporary detour. Life is not judged by how many times we fall, but by how we pick ourselves up, face the music and march on to a better, wiser future.