I have to say, I've flown Ryanair several times now between Liverpool and Dublin, and have got nothing but praise for them. I appreciate I may have been spectacularly lucky, but I don't recall any significant delays, the planes are ok for such a short hop (including one which looked brand new), I've never had any issues with hand luggage, and the crew are always friendly enough (in fact much friendlier than I am on the 0630 flight...).
The thing with Ryanair is to remember it's all a big game. If you're prepared to play by their rules, regarding online check-in, not taking hold baggage etc, there's really nothing wrong with them. Ok, you get nothing for free, and it's not luxurious, but on a thirty-minute flight what do you want? When I was a kid the bus to the nearest town took 45 minutes, and you got nothing on that either.