The general feeling is that Irish grads may be a little more "secure" in obtaining residency spots than the general IMG, but you should not make a choice based on this opinion. If you do come here, regard yourself as an IMG same as all IMGs and therefore know the work you'll have to do to return to the US. Irish IMGs generally tend to do ok on the USMLE because of English as the native language and possibly more emphasis on clinical scenarios during classes... but still, the driving force behing USMLE success is self-motivated.
As to what stats you need, that's uncertain. As with american schools, as high as possible. The Americans in my class I think generally had around 3.7 GPA or so, but there are those with lower GPAs like 3.1 or 3.2 ... there's no set cutoff. Same with MCAT scores. They may look more at your application personal statement and experiences, possibly liking those with unique experiences and activities which aren't done by a lot of premeds.
I like Dublin, but you do need a break from it every once in awhile. I love being here, and in no way am i sick of being here. Defo would not really rather be home in the US, although there are things you miss (open space, driving, etc.) - just the cons of being in a city. Most of the Americans in my class aren't really sick of being here, it might not be their favorite place, but I think everyone's found fun here. You're always going to have 1 or 2 who do nothing but complain and a couple might transfer, but the majority have a good time here. There's definitely pluses to being in city within hopping distance to other european cities and close enough proximity to walk where you need to go.
