Ryan Tubridy the top earner as RTÉ publishes list of highest paid presenters 

Ryan Tubridy pictured performing "I can't take my eyes off you" for the opening of RTÉ The Late Late Valentines Special. Picture Andres Poveda

Ryan Tubridy remains the highest earner within RTÉ, with the broadcaster publishing its highest presenter earnings for 2020 and 2021 on Wednesday.

Mr Tubridy, who hosts The Late Late Show as well as his own radio show on weekday mornings, earned €440,000 in 2021, a drop from his 2020 total of €466,250, which in turn was a drop from his 2019 earnings of €495,000.

Liveline host Joe Duffy is second in the list with a 2021 annual earning of €351,000, down from €360,650 in 2020 and €392,494 in 2019.

Claire Byrne is a new entrant to the top three, pocketing €350,000 in 2021 — an increase of €100,000 on her 2019 total. Ms Byrne hosts RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne and up until May of last year she hosted the Claire Byrne Live.

Claire Byrne 

The figures show that the national broadcaster reduced total fees paid to its highest-paid presenters by more than 15% in both 2020 and 2021.

Two of the top 10 earners from 2019 are no longer with the organisation, with Marian Finucane passing away in January of 2020 and Seán O'Rourke retiring in the spring of the same year.

In 2019, the company paid their top-ten earners just over €3.2m.

That figure dropped to €2,713,404 in 2020 and rose to €2,723,616 in 2021.

Ray D'Arcy has fallen to fourth in the top 10 list, with the presenter dropping from his 2019 earnings of €450,000 down to €305,000 for both 2020 and 2021.

Ray D'arcy

Mr Tubridy, Mr Duffy, Mr D'Arcy and Ms Byrne are also classed by RTÉ as "independent contractors who have a direct relationship with RTÉ", noting that they do not earn salaries from the company and their earnings represent fees payable excluding Vat.

Both Prime Time presenter Miriam O'Callaghan (who earned €263,500 in 2020 and 2021) and radio host Brendan O'Connor (who earned €238,753 in 2020 and €245,004 in 2021) also fall into that category. Ms O'Callaghan was fifth in the top-10 list and Mr O'Connor was sixth. 

Joe Duffy. Picture: RollingNews.ie

In terms of RTÉ employees, newsreader and presenter Bryan Dobson earned €209,282, which matched his 2019 salary but has fallen from his 2020 total of €217,332.

Morning Ireland presenter Mary Wilson, sports commentator and presenter Darragh Maloney, and environmental correspondent George Lee round out the top 10 earners of 2021, with salaries of €196,961, €183,738, and €179,131 in 2021 respectively.

Commenting on the release, RTÉ Director-General Dee Forbes said: "Today we are publishing the fees paid to RTÉ's highest-paid presenters for 2020 and 2021, which confirms a total reduction of more than 15%. 

Our presenters play an important role in RTÉ's provision of vital news, information and entertainment to audiences right across the country and enable us to generate commercial revenue which is essential to fund RTÉ's public services. 

Acknowledging that the fees of their higher-profile presenters attract "considerable" interest from members of the public, Ms Forbes noted that since 2008, RTÉ has reduced said fees by circa 40%.

She concluded: "We continue to keep them under review."

RTÉ is part-funded by the TV licence fee and part-funded by commercial revenue.