Hi,
Always make sure the all members of the IRF stack have a different prio from 1.
Example:
switch1 32
switch2 30
switch3 28
switch4 26
etc.
Initially switch1 will be master, but if it has been rebooted (e.g. due to power failure), another switch would become master and remains master even when switch1 returns.
If you left the default for the other switches (prio 1), this would mean that your current master would be running with prio1, and could easily be overruled by a new device.
Also remember to use the irf-port-configuration active command every time you make a change to the IRF port configuration (so both on the existing irf system as on the newly joining devices).
This is because any change to the irf port configuration is always in a "pending" state until you commit with the irf-port-configuration active command.
Finally, as mentioned above, check the physical links and respect the irf port 1 to irf port 2 rule,
hth,Peter