I am from Denmark and own 2 handguns legally, here you have to be an active member of a gun club for 2 years meaning shooting at least 6 times per year at the club after that if you are 21 years old you can apply for a gun license and the police will do the usual background checks like mental health and criminal record, and finally the chairman of the gunclub has to co-sign for the gun license and handguns cost twice as much in DK as in the US.
I also have a hunters license but in Denmark it´s one of the hardest test in the world and it takes 6 month to get through the course because we have to know so much. I am sure you can get a hunters license and a shotgun in Ireland you can get shotguns and bolt action rifles for hunting in pretty much every country if you do not have a criminal record or a mental illness.