I only know what is publicly available, but the company website states:
'Ryanair is the only airline in Europe that does not overbook its flights; therefore Ryanair has eliminated the possibility of passengers being denied boarding as a result of overbooking.'
Ryanair.com - About Us - Passenger Charter (section 9)
As far as I know, a 737-800 cannot take more than 189 pax
Can one reconcile this with selling to 196 pax, is there something I'm missing, or am I just being a little naive in taking things at face value ?