diff --git a/drivers/staging/lirc/lirc_serial.c b/drivers/staging/lirc/lirc_serial.c
index 4a3cca03224a..805df913bb6e 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lirc/lirc_serial.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lirc/lirc_serial.c
@@ -838,7 +838,23 @@ static int hardware_init_port(void)
 
 static int init_port(void)
 {
-	int i, nlow, nhigh;
+	int i, nlow, nhigh, result;
+
+	result = request_irq(irq, irq_handler,
+			     IRQF_DISABLED | (share_irq ? IRQF_SHARED : 0),
+			     LIRC_DRIVER_NAME, (void *)&hardware);
+
+	switch (result) {
+	case -EBUSY:
+		printk(KERN_ERR LIRC_DRIVER_NAME ": IRQ %d busy\n", irq);
+		return -EBUSY;
+	case -EINVAL:
+		printk(KERN_ERR LIRC_DRIVER_NAME
+		       ": Bad irq number or handler\n");
+		return -EINVAL;
+	default:
+		break;
+	};
 
 	/* Reserve io region. */
 	/*
@@ -893,34 +909,17 @@ static int init_port(void)
 		printk(KERN_INFO LIRC_DRIVER_NAME  ": Manually using active "
 		       "%s receiver\n", sense ? "low" : "high");
 
+	dprintk("Interrupt %d, port %04x obtained\n", irq, io);
 	return 0;
 }
 
 static int set_use_inc(void *data)
 {
-	int result;
 	unsigned long flags;
 
 	/* initialize timestamp */
 	do_gettimeofday(&lasttv);
 
-	result = request_irq(irq, irq_handler,
-			     IRQF_DISABLED | (share_irq ? IRQF_SHARED : 0),
-			     LIRC_DRIVER_NAME, (void *)&hardware);
-
-	switch (result) {
-	case -EBUSY:
-		printk(KERN_ERR LIRC_DRIVER_NAME ": IRQ %d busy\n", irq);
-		return -EBUSY;
-	case -EINVAL:
-		printk(KERN_ERR LIRC_DRIVER_NAME
-		       ": Bad irq number or handler\n");
-		return -EINVAL;
-	default:
-		dprintk("Interrupt %d, port %04x obtained\n", irq, io);
-		break;
-	}
-
 	spin_lock_irqsave(&hardware[type].lock, flags);
 
 	/* Set DLAB 0. */
@@ -945,10 +944,6 @@ static void set_use_dec(void *data)
 	soutp(UART_IER, sinp(UART_IER) &
 	      (~(UART_IER_MSI|UART_IER_RLSI|UART_IER_THRI|UART_IER_RDI)));
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&hardware[type].lock, flags);
-
-	free_irq(irq, (void *)&hardware);
-
-	dprintk("freed IRQ %d\n", irq);
 }
 
 static ssize_t lirc_write(struct file *file, const char *buf,
@@ -1256,6 +1251,9 @@ exit_serial_exit:
 static void __exit lirc_serial_exit_module(void)
 {
 	lirc_serial_exit();
+
+	free_irq(irq, (void *)&hardware);
+
 	if (iommap != 0)
 		release_mem_region(iommap, 8 << ioshift);
 	else