Electing to bat first, Graeme Smith’s side found themselves in all sorts of trouble at 91 for eight before Andrew Hall and Robin Peterson rescued the Proteas with a partnership of 85.
Hall remained unbeaten with 67 while Peterson scored a gutsy 29.
Australian-born Ireland skipper Trent Johnston finished with four for 38 but it was Dave Langford-Smith, a 30-year-old right arm paceman, who did the early damage.
The Sydney-born Langford-Smith sent back Smith (9), A.B. de Villiers (5) and Herschelle Gibbs (14) in a fiery opening spell.
Scoreboard
SOUTH AFRICA:
G.C. Smith c N. O'Brien b Langford-Smith 9
A.B. de Villiers b Langford-Smith 5
J.H. Kallis b Langford-Smith 14
H.H. Gibbs b Johnston 21
A.G. Prince c Botha b Johnston 7
M.V. Boucher c Bray b J Mooney 14
S.M. Pollock c Bray b Johnston 1
L.L. Bosman b Johnston 0
A.J. Hall not out 67
R.J. Peterson b Botha 29
R. Telemachus b Botha 10
EXTRAS (LB-3, W-9, NB-3) 15
TOTAL (all out, 50 overs) 192
FALL OF WKTS: 1-15, 2-26, 3-42, 4-57, 5-64, 6-66, 7-66, 8-91, 9-176.
BOWLING: Langford-Smith 8-0-31-3; Rankin 5-0-22-0; Johnston 10-2-38-4; Botha 10-2-24-2; Mooney 3-0-11-0; Mooney 4-1-11-1; McCallan 7-0-38-0; K.J. O'Brien 3-0-10-0.
IRELAND: W.T.S. Porterfield, J.P. Bray, E.J.G. Morgan, N.J. O'Brien, K.J. O'Brien, A.C. Botha, W.K. McCallan, D.T. Johnston, A.R. White, J.F. Mooney, D. Langford-Smith, W.B. Rankin, P.J.K. Mooney.
UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and P.D. Parker (Australia).—Agencies