Is this true love or mere infatuation?

1. Any respectable flute ought to come with a fingering chart. Esp any flute costing 299. Lean on the shop staff; they've probably stuck the fingering chart somewhere.

2. How many chromatics do you actually need? the most I've seen in Irish music is either three sharps or two flats.

3. If you want to play Irish dance tunes and sound like the professionals, the secret is in the breathing, which consists of sendng puffs of air into the flute. (I've been trying to get that effect, haven't done it yet.) For example, I admire the playing of John Skelton, who does it that way.

How does this flute respond when puffed into?

Spend some time at this site:

http://www.expertvillage.com/interviews/irish-flute-practice.htm

David Cantieni, who gives the lessons on that site, has good intentions. Trouble is, he gives a good tip for beginners, then demonstrates it with an unfamiliar tune played at a hundred miles an hour. Can't tell when he applied the technique just described and when he didn't.