FutureCC I know you're a Ryanair fan boy but be careful you don't try and talk a company down. As someone with a little more experience in business than you, it's not as black and white as you believe and there are other options which we have not arrived at yet. God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason sir.
There are a lot of people's jobs riding on this and virtually none of them would be saved by merging with Ryanair. A little reading on what MOL did during the Buzz takeover might open your eyes on that score. They don't want Aer Lingus, they want them out of the way. Very easy to juggle some of your hundred of new Boeing deliveries and get shot of the Airbuses. The A330s are a hotch potch of specifications which again is anathema to Ryanair, result Ryanair is the surviving carrier and the competition is gone.
SkipnessOneEcho, I know I am only 17 - but I feel in a time like this (don't forget Aer Lingus are fast approaching the bottom of the barrel in cash) Irish tourists can drive to Dublin (or bus, train etc) to catch a flight to the US.
If you're such a big fan of the Ryanair business model why are you advocating the BA approach for the Irish travelling public? Hub them all through one airport miles away? The reason FR does so well is they give the public close to home and cheap options. Can't have it both ways.