Hi Colmhd,
As far as I can tell there are about 8-15 VX's in the U.K. You will probably find you have the only VX in Ireland, but having said that the vast majority of Japanese imports used to go through Ireland and I'm sure that at least one dealer/importer must have fell victim to the attraction of the VX. I could of course be wrong about the numbers in the U.K. but there are 4-5 members who use this board and I check the national motor trading publications online and have established that there are at least 3 for sale time to time but not on a regular basis.
With regards to your headlight settings many years ago a friend of mine with a Mercedes bought from the dealer some little blanking stickers which went on the lens to block it dipping the wrong side when over in France (you probably know the French drive on the same side as the U.S. ) and I just wonder if you might be able to do the same. The lights on the Japanese spec vehicles are not sealed beam and as they drive on the same side as us there is not a problem. The only other thing I can suggest when you are in Ireland is to try somewhere like a local car accessory shop or if desperate Halfords and they may be able to find a compatable sealed beam unit that will fit.
Best regards
David Wiltshire.