Good point, JohnRizzo2000. I think, over the last 15-20 years, that the biggest single tragedy for DUB was the opportunities that have been (and continue to be) turned away - and this is one of them. Leaving aside US pre-inspection, which is a great idea and one of the advantages of flying out of DUB to the US, the possibility of having a hub at DUB always existed, had the political will been there to allow it. Remember, this was not the UK govt, the US govt or any US or UK airline that scuppered this opportunity; the scuppering, as so often the case in Irish aviation, was done by our own govt.
DUB would be a superb hub for regional UK destinations, from ABZ and GLA, down to places like BHX and BRS and EI could have done well out of it ... but no, the Shannon stopover lobby played the dog in the manger act and successive govts didn't have the backbone, the interest or the vision to tell them to get stuffed. It didn't matter what Shannon had or even what it needed, as long as it got more than DUB, no matter how different a market it was. It has been an immense squandering of resources and potential.
Unfortunately, you can see clearly the evidence of this lack of interest and general "washing of hands" ... in three key areas, DUB poses obstacles to growth - passenger terminal facilities, freight facilities and runway length, yet of course, the answer is "it's the DAA's airport, for them to do as they wish; not our problem, mate."