Not related directly to your questions, if it were me I'd do the trip in reverse. Holland doesn't provide much excitement riding-wise and car drivers are pretty chill so it's a good gentle introduction to Europe. The further south you go the more exciting the roads and other drivers get.
As for the bike, for that sort of money I'd look at buying a cheap bike and getting it insured using the Irish route ... that way your wife could have cheap transport for the whole year.
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