diff --git a/repos/base-foc/src/core/irq_session_component.cc b/repos/base-foc/src/core/irq_session_component.cc
index 9e2903b46e..b48e18b3d7 100644
--- a/repos/base-foc/src/core/irq_session_component.cc
+++ b/repos/base-foc/src/core/irq_session_component.cc
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 
 /* core includes */
 #include <irq_root.h>
+#include <irq_args.h>
 #include <irq_session_component.h>
 #include <platform.h>
 #include <util.h>
@@ -185,60 +186,26 @@ Irq_session_component::Irq_session_component(Range_allocator *irq_alloc,
 :
 	_irq_number(~0U), _irq_alloc(irq_alloc)
 {
-	long irq_number = Arg_string::find_arg(args, "irq_number").long_value(-1);
+	Irq_args const irq_args(args);
+
 	long msi = Arg_string::find_arg(args, "device_config_phys").long_value(0);
 	if (msi) {
-		if (msi_alloc.get(irq_number, 1)) {
-			PERR("Unavailable MSI %ld requested.",  irq_number);
+		if (msi_alloc.get(irq_args.irq_number(), 1)) {
+			PERR("Unavailable MSI %ld requested.",  irq_args.irq_number());
 			throw Root::Unavailable();
 		}
-		msi_alloc.set(irq_number, 1);
+		msi_alloc.set(irq_args.irq_number(), 1);
 	} else {
-		if (!irq_alloc || irq_alloc->alloc_addr(1, irq_number).error()) {
-			PERR("Unavailable IRQ %ld requested.", irq_number);
+		if (!irq_alloc || irq_alloc->alloc_addr(1, irq_args.irq_number()).error()) {
+			PERR("Unavailable IRQ %ld requested.", irq_args.irq_number());
 			throw Root::Unavailable();
 		}
 	}
 
-	_irq_number = irq_number;
+	_irq_number = irq_args.irq_number();
 
-	long irq_t = Arg_string::find_arg(args, "irq_trigger").long_value(-1);
-	long irq_p = Arg_string::find_arg(args, "irq_polarity").long_value(-1);
-
-	Irq_session::Trigger irq_trigger;
-	Irq_session::Polarity irq_polarity;
-
-	switch(irq_t) {
-		case -1:
-		case Irq_session::TRIGGER_UNCHANGED:
-			irq_trigger = Irq_session::TRIGGER_UNCHANGED;
-			break;
-		case Irq_session::TRIGGER_EDGE:
-			irq_trigger = Irq_session::TRIGGER_EDGE;
-			break;
-		case Irq_session::TRIGGER_LEVEL:
-			irq_trigger = Irq_session::TRIGGER_LEVEL;
-			break;
-		default:
-			throw Root::Unavailable();
-	}
-
-	switch(irq_p) {
-		case -1:
-		case POLARITY_UNCHANGED:
-			irq_polarity = POLARITY_UNCHANGED;
-			break;
-		case POLARITY_HIGH:
-			irq_polarity = POLARITY_HIGH;
-			break;
-		case POLARITY_LOW:
-			irq_polarity = POLARITY_LOW;
-			break;
-		default:
-			throw Root::Unavailable();
-	}
-
-	_irq_object.associate(_irq_number, msi, irq_trigger, irq_polarity);
+	_irq_object.associate(_irq_number, msi, irq_args.trigger(),
+	                      irq_args.polarity());
 }
 
 
diff --git a/repos/base-hw/src/core/irq_session_component.cc b/repos/base-hw/src/core/irq_session_component.cc
index 8794af7b84..6a6ec421fa 100644
--- a/repos/base-hw/src/core/irq_session_component.cc
+++ b/repos/base-hw/src/core/irq_session_component.cc
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 /* core includes */
 #include <kernel/irq.h>
 #include <irq_root.h>
+#include <irq_args.h>
 #include <core_env.h>
 
 /* base-internal includes */
@@ -89,45 +90,7 @@ Irq_session_component::Irq_session_component(Range_allocator * const irq_alloc,
 		throw Root::Invalid_args();
 	}
 
-	long irq_trg = Arg_string::find_arg(args, "irq_trigger").long_value(-1);
-	long irq_pol = Arg_string::find_arg(args, "irq_polarity").long_value(-1);
+	Irq_args const irq_args(args);
 
-	Irq_session::Trigger irq_trigger;
-	Irq_session::Polarity irq_polarity;
-
-	switch(irq_trg) {
-	case -1:
-	case Irq_session::TRIGGER_UNCHANGED:
-		irq_trigger = Irq_session::TRIGGER_UNCHANGED;
-		break;
-	case Irq_session::TRIGGER_EDGE:
-		irq_trigger = Irq_session::TRIGGER_EDGE;
-		break;
-	case Irq_session::TRIGGER_LEVEL:
-		irq_trigger = Irq_session::TRIGGER_LEVEL;
-		break;
-	default:
-		PERR("invalid trigger mode %ld specified for IRQ %u", irq_trg,
-		     _irq_number);
-		throw Root::Unavailable();
-	}
-
-	switch(irq_pol) {
-	case -1:
-	case POLARITY_UNCHANGED:
-		irq_polarity = POLARITY_UNCHANGED;
-		break;
-	case POLARITY_HIGH:
-		irq_polarity = POLARITY_HIGH;
-		break;
-	case POLARITY_LOW:
-		irq_polarity = POLARITY_LOW;
-		break;
-	default:
-		PERR("invalid polarity %ld specified for IRQ %u", irq_pol,
-		     _irq_number);
-		throw Root::Unavailable();
-	}
-
-	Platform::setup_irq_mode(_irq_number, irq_trigger, irq_polarity);
+	Platform::setup_irq_mode(_irq_number, irq_args.trigger(), irq_args.polarity());
 }
diff --git a/repos/base/src/core/include/irq_args.h b/repos/base/src/core/include/irq_args.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e91660e876
--- /dev/null
+++ b/repos/base/src/core/include/irq_args.h
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/*
+ * \brief  Utility to parse IRQ session arguments
+ * \author Alexander Boettcher
+ * \date   2016-07-20
+ */
+
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2016 Genode Labs GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Genode OS framework, which is distributed
+ * under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2.
+ */
+
+#ifndef _CORE__INCLUDE__IRQ_ARGS_H_
+#define _CORE__INCLUDE__IRQ_ARGS_H_
+
+#include <base/log.h>
+#include <util/arg_string.h>
+#include <irq_session/irq_session.h>
+
+namespace Genode { class Irq_args; }
+
+class Genode::Irq_args
+{
+	private:
+
+		Irq_session::Trigger  _irq_trigger;
+		Irq_session::Polarity _irq_polarity;
+		long _irq_number;
+
+	public:
+
+		Irq_args(const char * args)
+		{
+			_irq_number  = Arg_string::find_arg(args, "irq_number").long_value(-1);
+			long irq_trg = Arg_string::find_arg(args, "irq_trigger").long_value(-1);
+			long irq_pol = Arg_string::find_arg(args, "irq_polarity").long_value(-1);
+
+			switch (irq_trg) {
+			case -1:
+			case Irq_session::TRIGGER_UNCHANGED:
+				_irq_trigger = Irq_session::TRIGGER_UNCHANGED;
+				break;
+			case Irq_session::TRIGGER_EDGE:
+				_irq_trigger = Irq_session::TRIGGER_EDGE;
+				break;
+			case Irq_session::TRIGGER_LEVEL:
+				_irq_trigger = Irq_session::TRIGGER_LEVEL;
+				break;
+			default:
+				error("invalid trigger mode ", irq_trg, " specified for IRQ ",
+				      _irq_number);
+				throw Root::Unavailable();
+			}
+
+			switch (irq_pol) {
+			case -1:
+			case Irq_session::POLARITY_UNCHANGED:
+				_irq_polarity = Irq_session::POLARITY_UNCHANGED;
+				break;
+			case Irq_session::POLARITY_HIGH:
+				_irq_polarity = Irq_session::POLARITY_HIGH;
+				break;
+			case Irq_session::POLARITY_LOW:
+				_irq_polarity = Irq_session::POLARITY_LOW;
+				break;
+			default:
+				error("invalid polarity ", irq_pol, " specified for IRQ ",
+				      _irq_number);
+				throw Root::Unavailable();
+			}
+		}
+
+		long irq_number() const { return _irq_number; }
+		Irq_session::Trigger trigger() const { return _irq_trigger; }
+		Irq_session::Polarity polarity() const { return _irq_polarity; }
+};
+
+#endif /* _CORE__INCLUDE__IRQ_ARGS_H_ */