Advice re non-EU spouse entering Ireland

Hi all, I'm new here and wondering if anyone has had this situation and how you dealt with it. We're struggling to find concrete info, and we're getting different stories from everyone (including officials in Ireland and at the Irish embassy here, the internet has also been most unhelpful).
I'm an EU passport holder, my husband isn't, but he has a job offer from an Irish company (we live in South Africa). We'll be emigrating early next year - my husband will go over towards the end of December and I'm hoping to follow with the kids in March. He doesn't need a visa to enter the coutry and we have established that he has the right to live and work there. We're hearing a range of different processes for getting the right stamp in his passport (i.e. to allow him to work there). What does he have to do when he arrives in Ireland? Do I have to be with him or can he just bring certified copies of my passport and our marriage certificate?
Any experience in this regard?