Sincerly i'm a little discouraged, i have got 24 years old and I live in a Country where Game Dev is still something "mysterious"...
When i started, Game Dev was something "mysterious" all over the world, and i live in the US.
"computer game developer? whats that? you play games all day! that's not a real job!"
its sounds like you're more interested in the graphics artist side of game development, as opposed to the programming side.
you might want to approach this by starting with your goal, and working backwards to where you are now, to determine the correct steps to take.
you've targeted ireland, so the first step would be to research the game job prospects there, and what they want to see in a new hire. find out what game companies you might work for in ireland. ireland has a very high per-captia education level, so i wouldn't be surprised if a couple of the publishers have a studio there, or might open one there by the time you're ready to enter the workforce. but in the long run, you have to live where the jobs are, so you might find yourself, leaving ireland for a job in frisco, tokyo, prague, etc.
then research the education options there (in irealnd), and see how they fit with what the irish game companies want to see in a new hire. and game companies in general - the requirements will be similar for all - and as i said, you may need to look outside ireland for jobs. so its probably best to prepare yourself for a job with any company anywhere on the planet. that actually makes things a bit easier, as info on what game companies worldwide in general want is probably easier to find than info about irish game companies.
so figure out what skills game companies want, then see what irish schools have to offer.
while you're pursuing your professional career track, it might also be a good idea to do some independent projects of your own to hone your skills and build up a portfolio of work done to show to potential employers. that's where gamedev.net comes in. folks here can help point you in the right direction no matter what your trying to do (design, code, graphics, audio, etc). they can even help with the really tough questions like "why don't i ever finish any of the games i start?" you can do a project of your own, which is a great way to learn all aspects of game development (design, coding, artwork, audio, etc), or perhaps join a team so you can concentrate on one aspect of game development (such as graphic arts, coding, etc).
everyone on the planet has the potential to the be like the guy who made minecraft. its never too late. and location is largely irrelevant - all you really need is internet access.
don't be hesitant to post here with questions.
gamedev.net is about the only real support group we gamedev types have.
