EI's considerably better flight times (for leisure travellers at least) and it's overall standard of service over FR are welcome.
Now that MME has lost its route (which I'm sure had a flight similar to EI's afternoon flight to NCL) it would be nice to see EI move in on that.
And yes, Sunderland were owned by an Irish consortium but are now owned by an American investor called Ellis Short
From what I recall the football is the reason Aer Arran started into Cork too