In our test, we have used a kernel from 2.4.x series, but it should work with series 2.2.x too. In this case, you probably have to apply a patch to the kernel.
You have to enable some options in kernel, in the IrDA (infrared) Support section. You should to choose these options as modules, not including them into the kernel. This option is better because the modules are only loaded when you are going to use the infrared device.
The basic IrDA options you should to enable are:
The options to support an infrared device attached to the serial port are:
The option to support the ACTISYS-IR 220L plus IR dongle we have used in our tests is:
When you have selected this options, you will have to save changes and compile the kernel with the new options: