Ireland Tourist Visa

[Jaimeet]

I'm going to be applying for a tourist visa from the New York Office:

Consulate General of Ireland
Ireland House, 345 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10154-0037
United States of America

I had a few questions:
What exactly do they need as far as Itinerary goes, an actual ticket, or just the "page before I buy a ticket". Their website: http://www.consulateofirelandnewyork.or ... x?id=40092 says:

"The granting of a visa is not a mere formality. As a result, the Consulate will not be held responsible for any cancelled or unused travel tickets in the event of a visa application not being processed by an applicant's intended date of travel or where an application has been rejected by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. As a result, we advise all visa applicants NOT to purchase or book travel tickets until their visa application has been approved, issued and received. "

Second question is does anyone know how long the process takes?

And finally, how do they mail the passport back? UPS or Fedex?

By the way I'm an Indian citizen living South Carolina on a work permit (H1 B visa)

Thank you for your help!