Pubs across Ireland screening Ryan Tubridy’s committee hearing as fervour against RTE star heightens-Lucy Norris-Entertainment – Metro

Ryan Tubridy’s committee hearing will be watched in pubs across the country (Credits: PA)

In what could be listed as potentially the most quintessentially Irish turn of events, pubs across the Emerald Isle will be switching on Oireachtas TV so punters can watch Ryan Tubridy’s appearance in crystal clear 4k.

RTE’s highest-paid presenter, 50, has said he aims to bring ‘maximum transparency’ ahead of his appearance before two committees on Tuesday, in what may decide his return to the airwaves.

He also said that he aims to address ‘much of the misinformation’ that he claims has been circulating in recent weeks.

Blasting the coverage on their massive screens, one pub in the country’s capital confirmed they were open for business just in time to watch Mr Tubridy plead his case.

The Camden posted a message to customers inviting them to arrive at their central location from 12pm.

Alongside a picture of the TV presenter wiping tears from his eyes and the Oireachtas committee, the pub penned on Instagram: ‘The Oireachtas vs Ryan Tubridy on Europe’s largest 4K screen. Don’t miss it, this might be your last chance to catch Tubridy on the big screen!

The star is the network’s highest paid presenter (Picture: PA)

‘We’re opening our doors tomorrow at 12pm. Walk ins are welcome [sic].’

Eager social media users reacted to the news and typed tweets that read: ‘Tweet of the day – won’t be beaten [sic],’ and ‘You couldn’t make this up. Hilarious, if it weren’t so serious.. [sic]’.

Amid their invitation, reports on Twitter announced that the country’s Licensed Vintners Association ‘has confirmed that “several pubs across Dublin are expected to broadcast the Oireachtas Committee meetings” with Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly next Tuesday [sic]’.

Among the documents that will be submitted to the committees during the coverage are Mr Tubridy’s 2015 contract with RTE, his 2020 contract with RTE, extracts from the financial accounts of Mr Tubridy’s company Tuttle Productions Ltd, and copies of emails to and from senior RTE executives.

Pubs across the country opened their doors for punters to watch the hearing (Picture: Instagram)

The star arrived at Leinster House, Dublin this morning (Picture: PA)

In a statement on Monday, the Irish star said: ‘We will be presenting key documents and new information to the two committees which we believe will bring maximum transparency to the situation and address much of the misinformation which has circulated over the past three weeks.

‘This is the first opportunity we have had to set out the full facts of what occurred, and we have spent weeks reviewing all the information about these issues.’

The hotly anticipated committee appearance of both Mr Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly comes after weeks of bruising revelations at Ireland’s public service broadcaster.

He was the host of the channel’s The Late, Late Show (Picture: PA)

Scrutiny of governance and financial affairs at RTE began after it admitted that fees paid to its star presenter Mr Tubridy had been underdeclared by 345,000 euro over the period 2017 to 2022.

RTE executives subsequently explained that the sponsor of RTE’s flagship Late Late Show programme, Renault, paid Mr Tubridy 75,000 euro in 2020 under a tripartite deal, but then pulled out of the arrangement.

Two 75,000 euro payments made to Mr Tubridy for the years 2021 and 2022 were made by RTE as it had underwritten the amounts due to Tubridy – in what TDs were told was a verbal agreement made on a Microsoft Teams meeting in May 2020.

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Grant Thornton is probing the amounts that RTE said led to Mr Tubridy’s fees from 2017-2019 being underdeclared; this report is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

Metro.co.uk contacted Mr Tubridy’s reps for comment as well as the The Licensed Vintners Association. 

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