THE penny has finally dropped for Ryan Tubridy.

Or the hundreds of thousands of euro.

In an interview ahead of his BBC debut, subbing for Graham Norton this Saturday, Tubs has revealed that he will happily take a 30pc cut in his salary in his next contract negotiation with RTE.

He earns over €530,000 a year, according to the latest figures. It's an extraordinary salary, in the current climate.

Tubridy was criticised in 2009 for not taking a voluntary pay cut, for legal reasons, making a charity donation instead.

But he's elected to come out ahead of the posse this time, moving quickly to lay out his stall. Why now?

Well, bear in mind the recent reports that RTE director general Noel Curran plans to cut fees to big-name contractors like Tubridy by 2013. And cut by how much? Up to 30pc.

So Tubridy has smartly stepped in and nabbed the positive PR on this one, telling us he has "to reflect reality".

In doing so he has thrown down an awkward gauntlet to his fellow top earners such as Pat Kenny and Marian Finucane, among others. Will they follow with a similar commitment?

In the past I have defended the salaries of many of RTE's top earners, and I stand over the argument that the top talent should be well paid.

BLARNEY

But as times worsen, reductions in pay are needed. Major salaries from the public purse cannot be justified as the country faces into further cuts.

So expect a few more Tubridy-style pledges as Mr Curran reviews his stars' paperwork over the next 18 months. But these D4 stay-at-homes are different to Tubridy, who is embarking on a major career step by taking the helm of Norton's BBC 2 Radio show.

He fancies himself as another Terry Wogan, a charming Irishman whose blarney wooed and enthralled Middle England. Whether he emerges as one, remains to be seen.

Either way, his pay cut commitment will hardly endear him to his colleagues facing cuts at Montrose.

Mind you, if he makes it in London salary worries will be a thing of the past for Tubridy. Norton makes an estimated €2.3m a year. So in the end it could a win-win for RTE's boy wonder.

Darren's big bender has given the black stuff a big boost

DARREN Clarke's Open win has earned him a ¤2.3m cheque from his sponsors Dunlop.

But if I were marketing manager at Diageo I'd give him a lifetime pass to the Guinness Storehouse.

The genial champ, pictured with fiancee Alison Campbell, has been flying the flag for the black stuff since his win at Sandwich.

Indeed the 20-odd pints he reportedly sunk may have accounted for his bleary countenance the day after his victory.

Sportsmen sometimes talk about the comedown after a major victory, but I reckon Darren feared his hangover more!

Why was paedophile still working at school?

THE CASE of paedophile Michael Ferry is one of the most troubling I've witnessed in many, many years.

The Donegal school caretaker was jailed for 14 years this week for a series of brutal sex attacks on four young boys who played football at his school.

What makes the case so disturbing is that this serial child rapist had a separate conviction for sexual assault, was on the sex offenders' register, and continued to work at the school and rape the boys, despite this. Worse still, it's reported today that he may have been a part of a paedophile ring.

It defies belief that this highly dangerous man could remain working "odd jobs" at a school, despite having a sexual assault conviction. One of his victims, Derek Mulligan, bravely spoke out after the verdict, branding his attacker a "demon" and asking how Ferry's could be employed there, given his earlier conviction.

Will anyone be held accountable for what happened to these children? Who at the school were aware of this man's conviction? Outside of the school system, what was the health board, now HSE's, involvement in the case after the gardai notified them?

Who is going to take responsibility for what was allowed to happen here? Will they be held to account, even after a learned judge, and yesterday Justice Minister Alan Shatter, raised these issues?

Sadly, given the way such matters are pursued here I am not confident they will.

- Gerry O'Carroll