Darn! I'm late for the party. Well, welcome to the boards anyway, Arfie. May your travels through the Gael Serran bring you fame, fortune, and friendship.
I see Packrat's already pointed you toward some of my old words. You might want to peruse the
Best Tips thread for more suggestions and specifics about almost everything. One warning: the information in there runs from very general to very specific, and is very full of spoilers.
Keep us posted on how you're going along.