diff --git a/gnu/local.mk b/gnu/local.mk
index 50b11a8ca2..f18fed6fbc 100644
--- a/gnu/local.mk
+++ b/gnu/local.mk
@@ -296,6 +296,7 @@ GNU_SYSTEM_MODULES =				\
   %D%/packages/installers.scm			\
   %D%/packages/ipfs.scm			\
   %D%/packages/irc.scm  			\
+  %D%/packages/irods.scm  			\
   %D%/packages/iso-codes.scm			\
   %D%/packages/jami.scm				\
   %D%/packages/java.scm				\
diff --git a/gnu/packages/irods.scm b/gnu/packages/irods.scm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..75a58d97cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gnu/packages/irods.scm
@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+;;; GNU Guix --- Functional package management for GNU
+;;; Copyright © 2021 Ricardo Wurmus <rekado@elephly.net>
+;;;
+;;; This file is part of GNU Guix.
+;;;
+;;; GNU Guix is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+;;; under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+;;; the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at
+;;; your option) any later version.
+;;;
+;;; GNU Guix is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
+;;; WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+;;; MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+;;; GNU General Public License for more details.
+;;;
+;;; You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+;;; along with GNU Guix.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+(define-module (gnu packages irods)
+  #:use-module ((guix licenses) #:prefix license:)
+  #:use-module (guix packages)
+  #:use-module (guix download)
+  #:use-module (guix build-system cmake)
+  #:use-module (guix utils)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages backup)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages boost)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages check)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages compression)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages cpp)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages databases)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages gcc)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages kerberos)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages linux)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages llvm)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages logging)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages networking)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages pretty-print)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages python)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages serialization)
+  #:use-module (gnu packages tls)
+  #:use-module (srfi srfi-1))
+
+(define-public irods
+  (package
+    (name "irods")
+    (version "4.2.8")
+    (source (origin
+              (method url-fetch)
+              (uri (string-append "https://github.com/irods/irods/releases/download/"
+                                  version "/irods-" version ".tar.gz"))
+              (sha256
+               (base32
+                "0ny54c3r0j692rvbr4iibg7xgd2i7g9x8yyrw04j889bywix14rc"))))
+    (build-system cmake-build-system)
+    (arguments
+     `(#:configure-flags
+       (list
+        "-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release"
+        (string-append "-DCMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS=-Wl,-rpath="
+                       (assoc-ref %outputs "out") "/lib")
+        (string-append "-DCMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS=-Wl,-rpath="
+                       (assoc-ref %outputs "out") "/lib")
+        (string-append "-DCMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS=-Wl,-rpath="
+                       (assoc-ref %outputs "out") "/lib")
+
+        ;; Configuration aborts if no generator format is set
+        "-DCPACK_GENERATOR=TGZ"
+
+        ;; Configuration attempts to guess the distribution with Python.
+        "-DIRODS_LINUX_DISTRIBUTION_NAME=guix"
+        "-DIRODS_LINUX_DISTRIBUTION_VERSION_MAJOR=1"
+
+        (string-append "-DIRODS_EXTERNALS_FULLPATH_CLANG="
+                       (assoc-ref %build-inputs "clang"))
+        (string-append "-DIRODS_EXTERNALS_FULLPATH_CLANG_RUNTIME="
+                       (assoc-ref %build-inputs "clang-runtime"))
+        (string-append "-DIRODS_EXTERNALS_FULLPATH_CPPZMQ="
+                       (assoc-ref %build-inputs "cppzmq"))
+        (string-append "-DIRODS_EXTERNALS_FULLPATH_ARCHIVE="
+                       (assoc-ref %build-inputs "libarchive"))
+        (string-append "-DIRODS_EXTERNALS_FULLPATH_AVRO="
+                       (assoc-ref %build-inputs "avro-cpp"))
+        (string-append "-DIRODS_EXTERNALS_FULLPATH_BOOST="
+                       (assoc-ref %build-inputs "boost"))
+        (string-append "-DIRODS_EXTERNALS_FULLPATH_ZMQ="
+                       (assoc-ref %build-inputs "zeromq"))
+        (string-append "-DIRODS_EXTERNALS_FULLPATH_JSON="
+                       (assoc-ref %build-inputs "json"))
+        (string-append "-DIRODS_EXTERNALS_FULLPATH_CATCH2="
+                       (assoc-ref %build-inputs "catch2"))
+        (string-append "-DIRODS_EXTERNALS_FULLPATH_NANODBC="
+                       (assoc-ref %build-inputs "nanodbc"))
+        (string-append "-DIRODS_EXTERNALS_FULLPATH_FMT="
+                       (assoc-ref %build-inputs "fmt")))
+
+       #:phases
+       (modify-phases %standard-phases
+         (add-after 'unpack 'unset-Werror
+           (lambda _
+             ;; -Werror kills the build due to a comparison REQUIRE(errs.size() == err->len);
+             ;; in unit_tests/src/test_irods_lifetime_manager.cpp
+             (substitute* "CMakeLists.txt"
+               (("-Werror") ""))))
+         (add-after 'unpack 'remove-FHS-and-prefix-assumptions
+           (lambda* (#:key inputs #:allow-other-keys)
+             (substitute* '("CMakeLists.txt"
+                            "cmake/server.cmake"
+                            "cmake/development_library.cmake"
+                            "cmake/runtime_library.cmake")
+               (("usr/") ""))
+             (substitute* "lib/core/src/irods_default_paths.cpp"
+               (("path.append\\(\"usr\"\\)") "path")
+               (("path.remove_filename\\(\\).remove_filename\\(\\).remove_filename\\(\\)")
+                "path.remove_filename().remove_filename()"))
+             (substitute* "scripts/irods/paths.py"
+               (("'usr', 'lib', 'irods'") "'lib', 'irods'"))
+             (substitute* "scripts/irods/pypyodbc.py"
+               (("\"/usr/lib/libodbc.so\"")
+                (string-append (assoc-ref inputs "unixodbc") "/lib/libodbc.so")))))
+         (add-after 'set-paths 'adjust-CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH
+           (lambda* (#:key inputs #:allow-other-keys)
+             (let ((gcc (assoc-ref inputs  "gcc")))
+               (setenv "CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH"
+                       (string-join
+                        (cons* (string-append (assoc-ref inputs "libcxx+libcxxabi")
+                                              "/include/c++/v1")
+                               (string-append (assoc-ref inputs "catch2")
+                                              "/include/catch2")
+                               (string-append (assoc-ref inputs "json")
+                                              "/include/nlohmann")
+                               ;; Hide GCC's C++ headers so that they do not interfere with
+                               ;; the Clang headers.
+                               (delete (string-append gcc "/include/c++")
+                                       (string-split (getenv "CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH")
+                                                     #\:)))
+                        ":"))
+               (format #true
+                       "environment variable `CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH' changed to ~a~%"
+                       (getenv "CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH"))))))))
+    (inputs
+     `(("avro-cpp" ,(package
+                      (inherit avro-cpp-1.9)
+                      (arguments
+                       `(#:configure-flags
+                         '("-DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=clang++"
+                           "-DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=-stdlib=libc++"
+                           "-DCMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS=-lc++abi -lz")
+                         #:phases
+                         (modify-phases %standard-phases
+                           (add-after 'unpack 'chdir
+                             (lambda _ (chdir "lang/c++")))
+                           (add-after 'set-paths 'adjust-CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH
+                             (lambda* (#:key inputs #:allow-other-keys)
+                               (let ((gcc (assoc-ref inputs  "gcc")))
+                                 (setenv "CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH"
+                                         (string-join
+                                          (cons* (string-append (assoc-ref inputs "libcxx+libcxxabi")
+                                                                "/include/c++/v1")
+                                                 ;; Hide GCC's C++ headers so that they do not interfere with
+                                                 ;; the Clang headers.
+                                                 (delete (string-append gcc "/include/c++")
+                                                         (string-split (getenv "CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH")
+                                                                       #\:)))
+                                          ":"))
+                                 (format #true
+                                         "environment variable `CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH' changed to ~a~%"
+                                         (getenv "CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH"))))))))
+                      (inputs
+                       `(("boost" ,boost-for-irods)
+                         ("clang" ,clang-toolchain-6)
+                         ("libcxx+libcxxabi" ,libcxx+libcxxabi-6)
+                         ("libcxxabi" ,libcxxabi-6)
+                         ("snappy" ,snappy-with-clang6)
+                         ("zlib" ,zlib)))))
+       ("boost" ,boost-for-irods)
+       ("cppzmq" ,cppzmq)
+       ("fmt" ,fmt-for-irods)
+       ("json" ,json-modern-cxx)
+       ("libarchive" ,libarchive)
+       ("libcxxabi" ,libcxxabi-6) ; we need this for linking with -lc++abi
+       ("linux-pam" ,linux-pam)
+       ("mit-krb5" ,mit-krb5)
+       ("nanodbc" ,nanodbc-for-irods)
+       ("openssl" ,openssl)
+       ("python" ,python-wrapper)
+       ("unixodbc" ,unixodbc)
+       ("zeromq" ,zeromq)))
+    (native-inputs
+     `(("catch2" ,catch-framework2)
+       ("clang" ,clang-toolchain-6)
+       ("clang-runtime" ,clang-runtime-6)
+       ("libcxx+libcxxabi" ,libcxx+libcxxabi-6)))
+    (home-page "https://irods.org")
+    (synopsis "Data management software")
+    (description "The Integrated Rule-Oriented Data System (iRODS) is data
+management software.  iRODS virtualizes data storage resources, so users can
+take control of their data, regardless of where and on what device the data is
+stored.")
+    (license license:bsd-3)))
