We present long-slit spectra of three irregular galaxies from which we determine the stellar kinematics in two of the galaxies ( NGC 1156 and NGC 4449 ) and ionized-gas kinematics in all three ( including NGC 2366 ) .
We compare this to the optical morphology and to the HI kinematics of the galaxies .
In the ionized gas , we see a linear velocity gradient in all three galaxies .

In NGC 1156 we also detect a weak linear velocity gradient in the stars of ( 5 \pm 1/ \sin i ) km s ^ { -1 } kpc ^ { -1 } to a radius of 1.6 kpc .
The stars and gas are rotating about the same axis , but this is different from the major axis of the stellar bar which dominates the optical light of the galaxy .

In NGC 4449 we do not detect organized rotation of the stars and place an upper limit of ( 3/ \sin i ) km s ^ { -1 } kpc ^ { -1 } to a radius of 1.2 kpc .
For NGC 4449 , which has signs of a past interaction with another galaxy , we develop a model to fit the observed kinematics of the stars and gas .
In this model the stellar component is in a rotating disk seen nearly face-on while the gas is in a tilted disk with orbits whose planes precess in the gravitational potential .
This model reproduces the apparent counter-rotation of the inner gas of the galaxy .
The peculiar orbits of the gas are presumed due to acquisition of gas in the past interaction .