diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index 733ac8d0..84bbd424 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -17,14 +17,8 @@ echo -n " automake: `automake --version | head -1 | awk '{print $4}'`"
 echo " ($AUTO_MAKE_VERSION)"
 echo ""
 
-ACLOCAL_OPTS=""
-if [ $AUTO_MAKE_VERSION -ge 14 ]; then
-    if [ $OSTYPE = "IRIX" -o $OSTYPE = "IRIX64" ]; then    echo " -I ."
-        ACLOCAL_OPTS="-I ."
-    fi
-fi
-echo "Running aclocal $ACLOCAL_OPTS"
-aclocal $ACLOCAL_OPTS
+echo "Running aclocal"
+aclocal
 
 echo "Running autoheader"
 autoheader
@@ -33,14 +27,8 @@ if [ ! -e simgear/simgear_config.h.in ]; then
     exit 1
 fi    
 
-echo -n "Running automake"
-if [ $OSTYPE = "IRIX" -o $OSTYPE = "IRIX64" ]; then
-    echo " --add-missing --include-deps"
-    automake --add-missing --include-deps
-else
-    echo " --add-missing"
-    automake --add-missing
-fi
+echo "Running automake --add-missing"
+automake --add-missing
 
 echo "Running autoconf"
 autoconf
@@ -50,16 +38,6 @@ if [ ! -e configure ]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
-# fixup Makefiles for Irix
-if test "$OSTYPE" = "IRIX" -o "$OSTYPE" = "IRIX64"; then
-    echo "Fixing Makefiles for Irix"
-    for n in `find . -name Makefile.in`; do \
-        mv -f $n $n.ar-new; \
-        sed 's/$(AR) cru /$(AR) -o /g' $n.ar-new > $n; \
-        rm -f $n.ar-new; \
-    done;
-fi
-
 echo ""
 echo "======================================"
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index cc7c437c..a9afad5f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -38,14 +38,20 @@ AC_PROG_RANLIB
 AC_PROG_INSTALL
 AC_PROG_LN_S
 
+
+# Used on the Irix platform
 AR="ar"
+ARFLAGS="cru"
 OS=`uname -s`
 if test "$OS" = "IRIX" -o "$OS" = "IRIX64"; then
     if test "$CXX" = "CC"; then
         AR="CC -ar"
-        AC_SUBST(AR)
+        ARFLAGS="-o"
     fi
 fi
+AC_SUBST(AR)
+AC_SUBST(ARFLAGS)
+
 
 if echo $includedir | egrep "simgear$" > /dev/null; then
     echo "includedir is" $includedir "libdir is" $libdir