Confused by th whole European Union thing. Do I need a visa? Can I stay permanently?

Your Irish passport is your visa to states that are members of the EU, so yeah, you could live and work in France without a visa. Keep in mind that with your Irish passport you only qualify for immigration and work authorization eligibility, but that alone does not land you a job in France.If you don't speak French, you can pretty much forget about it.Talk to a French official at the nearest French embassy to get more details!