I've never flown Ryanair, but it's clear that a reputation has built up around the airline (fostered by many blogs and travel sites such as FT) that it is an unpleasant flight experience. In the US, Southwest had this reputation as well for many years (and, in fact, still is no favorite of the bloggers). I have had experiences on Southwest that appear similar to yours on Ryanair that make me suspect that some aspects of FR's reputation are blown out of proportion and that for many routes that it serves, it is a serviceable mode of transportation. I would also suspect that Ryanair's flaws, similar to Southwest's, are more noticeable the longer the flight or the less direct the route.

Several posts in this thread would certainly make me consider FR if the need ever arose.