Hi Jaime,

Why don't you check out Memrise? http://www.memrise.com/ It's a great way to build your vocabulary and have fun doing it! I'm currently learning a course called Beginner Irish: First Step to Spoken Irish by sallya which is based on Buntús Cainte. Memrise is not the greatest for grammar though. You might want to try Bitesize Irish Gaelic or Gaeilge Gan Stró (ranganna.com). Both of those courses are great at breaking down the grammar into small, unintimidating pieces.

Go n-éirí leat! Good luck!

Well... Today I speak 6 different languages and I've learned all of them through music, internet, movies and all that stuff... and for me the best way to "dive into" a language is first learning how to ask questions. Because it's the questions that will increase your knowledge in the language, so the first thing I learned were how to say "what, when, which, how, where, who, why" and then I would add context to those words... so I'd ask something like "who are you? where do you live? Why are you learning..." and then I would work on how I would answer those questions and so it goes on and on... I hope I was helpful :)

Jaime, about your last phrase...
grammar is a way to desribe languges, or to study them in the sense of scholarship.
It wasn't designed for learning, but still it's helpful and even crucial. If you feel intimidated, you may try it  other way: just read whatever text you like, memorize songs etc... And when you feel curious or when you fill you need to consult the grammar to check something - do it. This way it becomes a way less boring (at least for me).

Though 1... I have no idea how to start speaking or writing without knowlege of the grammar:) As it was said above, speaking is <em>more</em> than helpful. I learn languages just to understand texts, it's an entirely different story from yours.

Though 2... Those who have studied grammar usually speak a way better. Sometimes I just cannot help but admire a far eastern girl writing clear and correct Russian after just a year of learning (you know how hard any european languges are for Chinese).
Still I'm always driven by curiosity, while they do work hard...
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- If you abstained from the grammar completely, there should be a moment when reading it'd make a huge breakthrough.
- I've always found funny to read book/course/grammar on one target languge written on another:) My first experience with French was a course in Breton, and the first serious texts in english i've read (apart from video-games...) were about Irish, Old Irish etc...:)))

- You're asking 'how ot dive'???? Isn't itaki jsut the proper place to find a speaker or two and, uh.. dive?:)
Don't forget audio-books: for the modern spoken literary languages translated books you are already familiar with (or the ones you aren't familiar with, but still <em>not</em> the local classics) fit well. Harry Potter kind:) Coupled with the text they work well. This recomendation comes often from polyglots, not from me.

Speaking from day 1 is the only way..... http://www.fluentin3months.com/how-to-start-learning-a-language/

Hope this helps.

https://www.duolingo.com/course/ga/en/Learn-Irish-Online ;

I think you should start with grammar by this portal. I recommend it for the beginning(ofc if you don't know it yet). ofc it is  completely for free. 

I noticed that irish grammar is pretty difficult so better start from beginning at least with basics by duolingo.

"How many words should I be memorizing each day?"

It is only depending on you. I'm trying to learn 15-30 words each day, but if you feel strong enough you can try even with 50 :)

Good luck!