To work for Ryanair, a JAA certficiate is not required. A validation is issued by the Irish Aviation Authority. This means you must keep your FAA certificate valid while you are obtaining your IAA/JAA certificate.
You don't have to sit for the 14 exams right off the bat... you have 18 months to complete the exams.
You will have to submit to an IAA/JAA medical which takes about a day and $800.
You will also need an immigration attourney to help you with the work permits which is a requirement to work in Europe.
It's not impossible, but it is expensive. However the pay is well worth the investment.
You can call some contracting agencies about such programs.