Rosetta Stone

The Holy Grail of language learning, but how good is it? I bought three months worth so that I could find out. One of the best things I have ever done for my language learning....however....I don't think you could use it if you were a complete beginner. You need some Irish before you take it or else it would all be just a confused mess.
There is no English...at all. It uses Munster Irish. Most of the sentences you can figure out for yourself because they have introduced you to the vocabulary you need before you even get the sentences. I have put a lot of them in Google Translate (which, by the way, is a LOT better than it used to be) just to make sure I have the sentence translated exactly right but most of the time, I don't have to.
It all starts with a Core Lesson that introduces you to the sentences and vocabulary in that lesson. I write them all down and put them into Quizlets. I am on Unit 4 now and there was about 115 sentences/vocabulary in the first lesson on that unit. There are 4 lessons in each unit. So it is a lot.. but I put them in Quizlets of about 20 each which makes it manageable and learnable. I learn them all and I make sure the Quizlets are set to write in Irish and English  and I use the Learn feature so I have to get them right 4 times before I can call it learned.
After the Core Lesson there is Pronunciation, Reading, Grammar, Speaking, Review, Listening and Vocabulary. It basically give you the same sentences in different ways. You write them, read them, fill in the blanks etc. You would think with all that repetition that you wouldn't need to do the Quizlets but, trust me, you do need them. If you really want to learn that is.
At the end of the 4th lesson there is a Milestone part. Where they give you a sentence and you are supposed to be able to say the next one. They don't use the same pictures as the lesson and it is nearly impossible to figure out what they want you to say in this section. I have found them so frustrating and useless that I totally skip them now. They aren't immersing you enough for you to be able to do this lesson.
Over all it is a really good program. I am learning tons. Where it is really lacking is on the Extended Learning section. It has Play, Talk, Stories and Audio Companion.
The Audio Companion is just the Rosetta Stone app for your phone. You get the exact same thing..only on your phone.
As for Talk, I haven't really tried it. You talk with people in Irish from around the world while playing game together...I don't want to talk with strangers like that...not yet anyway.
The Play section is pretty much the same thing except you can play one of 4 games by yourself or with a stranger. I have only played them by myself but I have to say, they aren't real interesting games, very basic and boring. Play the Quizlet ones, they are a lot more fun.
The Stories is, to me,  the most useful. They give you a little, very short "story" (sometimes just a paragraph) to read, then they read it to you and then there is a part where you can actually read the whole thing yourself (yeah, good luck with that). I mostly just read and listen. They start out with 3-4 the first few units, then they trickle down to 2 and then just one story for each unit, as if they got tired of making them. I guess with a pay program that is as famous as Rosetta Stone, I expected more- at LEAST 5-6 stories for each unit so that you really get some practice, but no, as it gets harder...you get one story. Also in the part where they read it to you...they talk really fast. Faster than you would speak normally, I think. It is not helpful.
There are also Live Tutoring sessions that you get now and then but have to pay for. Nah, not me, not yet anyway.
It sounds like a lot of negatives but no program is going to get you to fluency. You have to combine a lot of them and do a lot of extra to get enough vocabulary to actually speak the language, especially such a difficult language as Irish.
Rosetta Stone is definitely worth the money. I'm sure I'll have to buy 3-6 more months to get to the end of the 12 units but I'm definitely going to finish.
Other notes on the program: They use a lot of verbal nouns- running, reading, watching etc. and not a lot of actual verbs (at least in the 4 units I have done) but I think it is easier to learn where you don't have to focus on trying to conjugate verbs all the time. You get a verb now and then and you learn it to say I or he/she did something. It works so far. I really needed work on those verbal nouns anyway.
They build on what you have already learned. You might think you would forget what you had learned 2 units ago when they will put in a few sentences using what you learned then along with what you are learning now. For instance: a few units ago we learned how to say something is "close-gar" or "far- i bhfad" from something else. Two units later we are learning about shopping and stores and you get " Where is the bakery?", "The bakery is close to the bridge", "The hardware store is close to the park."
Grammar rules have become understandable with use. I used to get so frustrated on Duolingo trying to remember all those grammar rules. When to use lenition or eclipsis, when is it "his book","her book" or "their book". It is amazing how with enough use and figuring it out for yourself that these things become a lot more natural to you. I'm getting it and I never thought I would.
So do get Rosetta Stone if you already have some Irish. It will help immensely if you just put some effort into it.