The effect of in-situ N-ion irradiation on the recombination dynamics of GaInNAs/GaAs semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors has been studied. The samples were fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy using a radio frequency plasma source for nitrogen incorporation in the absorber layers as well as for the irradiation. The recombination dynamics of irradiated samples were studied by pump-probe measurements. The recombination time of the absorbers could be reduced by increasing the irradiation time. The effect of the reduced recombination time on the pulse dynamics of a mode-locked laser setup was studied with a Bi-doped fibre laser. The pulse quality was found to improve with increased irradiation time and reduced recombination time, demonstrating the potential of the in-situ irradiation method for device applications.