Hi vteferrer,
That project sounds very interesting. I’ve not tried to use the IrDA device with the Edison yet, but I think you are on the right path. Go ahead and try it and post your results in the community, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us. If you need a guidance with the kernel of the Edison I suggest you to try this guide https://communities.intel.com/docs/DOC-23159 .
Regards
Sergio