I really love these two CDs:
http://www.futafata.com/English/Bliain.html - The Year of Song
http://www.futafata.com/English/CeolNaMara.html - Songs of the Ocean
I picked these up last summer in Ireland and I really love them. They come with lyric books with all of the words in Irish, and the occasional word translated into English. The songs are catchy and clear, and if you learn through repetition and music, this will really stick with you.
I find it works best for me if I spend some time with a dictionary and translate the songs, so I can associate what I hear and read with what is going on.
I also love this DVD: http://www.rte.ie/tv/dentots/fluffygardens/index.html - Fluffy Gardens
It’s a set of 12 short and goofy animated cartoons, with two seperate audio options for English and irish. I can’t wait till they make another one. It’s a bit more difficult than the CDs because there’s no printed transcript, but on the other hand you get the benefit of the visual context to help figure out what’s going on.
I’d recommend all of these for beginners who are still working on getting their heads round the sounds of Irish, and doubly so for people who know that repetition of simple phrases works for them.