where is the best place?

[patrickd]

or what is best way to go about learning chinese, im irish and am interested?

Sorry if this is in wrong section.

[Hedge]

You'll find a wealth of information on this forum, Id start by reading old posts. Then you might have more specific questions.

To give you a pointer, I would look into a Spaced Repetition System to help you remember and review your study material.

[leather_strap]

There is only adequate method to really learning a language: total submersion. As a fluent speaker of English (which I assume is true given that you are from Ireland, no?) it is easy to get a teaching position here without any real creditials. You can easily come on a travel visa and then switch it to a work visa. However, if you want to learn more you can switch to a student visa through a local language school. Working as a private tutor can make you a lot more money than being a teacher, with less prep time needed.

After you have some kind of means for money/visa, you need to work on the language. I know its tempting to go live someplace like Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Taipei, etc. but the extra creature/social comforts will come at the cost of your development. Large, international cities such as these have a large English speaking Chinese population and therefore most every Chinese person you meet will see you as an opportunity to practice their oral Engish. On the contrary, there are plenty of large cities such as Wuhan, Chendu, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Chendu, etc. that will have a busling thoroughfare, but with very few people who don't speak primarily Chinese. I'd avoid smaller towns and cities until you develop your Mandarin, or else you'll find yourself with VERY few people to ever have a coherent conversation with.

Other than these two things, I'd suggest a part-time language school and a private tutor. Both of which are surprisingly cheap here in the Mainland. Until you find a time to actually come here, I'd check-out www.chinesepod.com. The mp3 podcast lessons are free and you can just keep signing up for the free trial to keep utilizing the pdf supplimentary materials and tests. ;-) They have everything from zero Chinese ability to advanced fluency and lessons (500+) on a plethora of topics.

~good luck~