That's great news, if they don't come up with a new pay deal for new joiners, because the Aer Lingus package on offer to their current pilots including pension & benefits is supposed to be among the best in Europe.
Good news also that they want predominantly Irish pilots, I've always believed in looking after your own first, something which Irish and British airlines aren't usually very good at. At the risk of sparking this debate again, how many Irish pilots do you find in KLM, Air France, Lufthansa, etc.