@grayface_ghost The couple have settled in Malta, which has been fine from both an immigration and a trans healthcare point of view, but I don't know to what extent that is due to my friend being an EU citizen, and her spouse therefore deriving access from that.
In terms of accessing EU citizenship, if you have even one grandparent who was either born on the island of Ireland (so the north counts), or who was an Irish citizen at birth, even if born off-island, you can get an Irish passport.