score:7
While you can ask the airline, it is rather likely that they would not cancel and refund you the money, Ryanair is not known to be customer friendly. With other airlines and lots of people who need to be rebooked your chances are better.
If you as a group have taken out travel insurance it is there you should ask first. By individual insurance contracts I fear you will not be reimbursed, but you can try.
On the other hand, traveling alone can be a great experience so why not just go?
Upvote:0
Your friends could simply book a different flight. Presumably, their tickets were cancelled by the airlines, so they got their money back. Use that money (and probably some on top) to buy tickets on a different flight. There may even be availability on the flight you are taking.