The CERN Proton Irradiation Facility (IRRAD) is a reference facility in high-energy physics for the qualification of detectors, materials, and electronic components against radiation. A proton beam with a momentum of 24 GeV/c is delivered from the CERN PS accelerator to IRRAD and impinges on the components being tested, placed on remotely controlled movable stages. This equipment, operated by dedicated control systems, allows for the precise positioning of components in or out of the beam and facilitates the handling of irradiated components, while minimising the radiation received by the IRRAD operators. Originally, the implementation of the Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) of the IRRAD control system was based on proprietary software, thus limiting it to specific operating system. To address the issues linked to such dependencies in terms of openness, ease of development and access to state-of-the-art technologies, new GUIs have been designed and developed with open-license cross-platform software. In this paper, the IRRAD control system software architecture is detailed, and the lessons learned while implementing these new feature-rich GUIs are presented.