Coleen,
HR = Recruitment & Selection, employee relations(listening to people's issues and problems), administration of systems whether that be absenteeism, payroll, overtime. Setting up procedures. Industrial relations disputes. Employee dismissals. Grievance procedures.
In larger companies (ie 250+), you can end up in specialist areas ie payroll or just employee relations or HR admin. In smaller companies, you do the whole lot together.
Working for a recruitment agency is SALES. It's sales, sales, sales.
Yes its people, but you work to targets. It can be highly rewarding if you are competitive individual and have a reason to earn money. If not stay clear.
HR and Recruitment are two different areas in my oppinion. People enter recruitment agencies as a backdoor to HR(i know bit of a contradiction). However unless you are suited to a salesy type role, stay clear as it can be rough time as well as looking bad on the CV.
If you have no experience of HR BUT have decided you REALLY want to get into HR, then the CIPD is virtually a must have (unless you have a bit of pull to get you into HR). Put in another way, it will definitely help your chances of getting HR. The NCI also run courses and are based in Dublin city centre.
Good luck.