It would appear to the naieve - such as I - that whomever decided to shut down the Aer lingus operation must be leaving himself open to damages claims by affected customers.
The pilots WANT to work, the rest of the airline ARE working (or are available), however Aer Lingus aircraft have been grounded on the whim of some "higher authority".
The culprit needs to be identified and given plenty of public exposure (B & W photos printed on A4 are fine!) for the UNNECESSARY inconvenience and expense incurred on Aer Lingus' loyal customers.