the numbers of non Irish connecting through Dublin from the UK and Europe on a daily basis is enormous
It's not enormous, it's really not. 6-7 flights each day to a whizz bang total of four, soon to be five US destinations isn't huge. It's niche and it's well marketed and it supports a large P2P operation, however it's barely a hub and spoke. By way of comparison, BA long haul at unloved LGW is bigger.
Kudos for still being in the game though.
Telegraph Article
Dublin airport 'an alternative hub to Heathrow', says Aer Lingus - Telegraph