"1) How is CAP371 relevant to a non-UK airline (ie Aer Lingus)?"
RD: As you have rightly pointed out, there has been no clear information on the Irish regs NOR on the exact nature of the 'change' by AL management - I did ask on the other thread a while ago for such. As such we are all a bit in the dark.
The 371 issue became relevant because there appears to be a mis-understanding of the UK regs in this area, which I was trying to open for discussion. It has also been suggested under the 'conspiracy theory' that certain UK airlines are next in line for an attack. Bear in mind also that the UK regs have been the 'framework' for many national regs in the past.
Your points on 'fatigue' v 'tiredness' are valid - it is just that excessive use of 'minimum rest' causes tiredness which can cause fatigue.
I do think this is a worthy topic in a forum like this, and that the travelling public should be aware of the possible work patterns of their crews. Perhaps Captain S would consider splitting this 'general' rostering issue away from the AL thread?