There are websites like Meetup.com where you can meet people with similar interests in activity groups. It's actually a great way of connecting. Idk if they have that in Ireland.

I recently lost a couple good friends. Not necessarily because they are bad people, but because we are at different points in our lives and often move on because we can inadvertently hold each other back from growth (or that's what the popular thought is). What I know is that people come and go and aren't all that special. Even close friends come and go. The more you get familiar with the idea that all is temporary, the less lonely you will feel. I'm sorry.