Musicman.

I can fully appreciate your need to try before buying!

You will be able to get a Gibson A, A-0 or A-1 as Willie-O says above for your budget provided you are patient. I was looking towards getting one last year (having long since sold a beautiful A-3) but my wife lost her job in the meantime which has put a ceiling on expenditure! I saw several on e-bay and several other sites within your budget. Generally speaking a good Gibson A will be highly suitable for "celtic" music.

I have also owned a Martin A-style and, as Willie-O says they generally have a very sweet tone but do not usually have the projection of Gibson As.

If you like the "sweet" tone type of mandolin, there is scarcely anything better than a vintage 1920s Lyon and Healy (Washburn) mandolin. These are highly sought after by classical players and you might find one in your price range. I tried one on a recent trip to London and it was superb and quite suitable for Irish music.

I believe Wesley S has a Weber and plays Irsh music and you might like to ask his opinion on that make. I believe he is very happy with it.

All best regards,

mooman

P.S. If a European make comes up near you that you do not know and you would like an opinion on it, I have worked on or repaired and played most of them! (my own mandolin is an English Eccleshall A-5).