Originally Posted by Tobias-UK

EC261 Article 8 requires an airline to reroute you when a flight is cancelled. Here is the wording:“1. Where reference is made to this Article, passengers shall be offered the choice between:

(a) - reimbursement within seven days, by the means provided for in Article 7(3), of the full cost of the ticket at the price at which it was bought, for the part or parts of the journey not made, and for the part or parts already made if the flight is no longer serving any purpose in relation to the passenger's original travel plan, together with, when relevant,

- a return flight to the first point of departure, at the earliest opportunity;

(b) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at the earliest opportunity; or

(c) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at a later date at the passenger's convenience, subject to availability of seats.”
The choice of which option is the passenger’s, not the airline.

I would now make a formal claim to Ryanair under EC261 for the cost of your flights home. If they refuse, once you’ve received their ‘deadlock’ you can make a complaint via AviationADR (https://www.aviationadr.org.uk).

In the circumstances I don’t think you would be entitled to compensation for the cancellation but, on the information provided, your case for reimbursement of the costs of returning home is more likely to succeed.