With the CentOS based IRLP software the output from the ls command was colourised. With Debian this is disabled by default, but is quite simple to enable.

Borrowed from http://jbsteiner.com/article/enabling-colorful-bash-debian-squeeze

1. As root backup /etc/bash.bashrc: E.g. cp /etc/bash.bashrc /etc/backup.bash.bashrc
2. As root edit /etc/bash.bashrc to resemble the following, this is a complete copy of the file with the changes, it is safe to replace the file with this:

# System-wide .bashrc file for interactive bash(1) shells.
 
# To enable the settings / commands in this file for login shells as well,
# this file has to be sourced in /etc/profile.
 
# If not running interactively, don't do anything
[ -z "$PS1" ] && return
 
# check the window size after each command and, if necessary,
# update the values of LINES and COLUMNS.
shopt -s checkwinsize
 
# set variable identifying the chroot you work in (used in the prompt below)
if [ -z "$debian_chroot" ] && [ -r /etc/debian_chroot ]; then
    debian_chroot=$(cat /etc/debian_chroot)
fi
 
use_color=false
 
# Set colorful PS1 only on colorful terminals.
# dircolors --print-database uses its own built-in database
# instead of using /etc/DIR_COLORS.  Try to use the external file
# first to take advantage of user additions.  Use internal bash
# globbing instead of external grep binary.
safe_term=${TERM//[^[:alnum:]]/?}   # sanitize TERM
match_lhs=""
[[ -f ~/.dir_colors   ]] && match_lhs="${match_lhs}$(<~/.dir_colors)"
[[ -f /etc/DIR_COLORS ]] && match_lhs="${match_lhs}$(</etc/DIR_COLORS)"
[[ -z ${match_lhs}    ]] \
        && type -P dircolors >/dev/null \
        && match_lhs=$(dircolors --print-database)
[[ $'\n'${match_lhs} == *$'\n'"TERM "${safe_term}* ]] && use_color=true
 
if ${use_color} ; then
        # Enable colors for ls, etc.  Prefer ~/.dir_colors #64489
        if type -P dircolors >/dev/null ; then
                if [[ -f ~/.dir_colors ]] ; then
                        eval $(dircolors -b ~/.dir_colors)
                elif [[ -f /etc/DIR_COLORS ]] ; then
                        eval $(dircolors -b /etc/DIR_COLORS)
                fi
        fi
 
        if [[ ${EUID} == 0 ]] ; then
                PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;31m\]\h\[\033[01;34m\] \W \$\[\033[00m\] '
        else
                PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[01;34m\] \w \$\[\033[00m\] '
        fi
 
        alias ls='ls --color=auto'
        alias grep='grep --colour=auto'
else
        if [[ ${EUID} == 0 ]] ; then
                # show root@ when we don't have colors
                PS1='\u@\h \W \$ '
        else
                PS1='\u@\h \w \$ '
        fi
fi
 
# Try to keep environment pollution down, EPA loves us.
unset use_color safe_term match_lhs
 
# Commented out, don't overwrite xterm -T "title" -n "icontitle" by default.
# If this is an xterm set the title to user@host:dir
#case "$TERM" in
#xterm*|rxvt*)
#    PROMPT_COMMAND='echo -ne "\033]0;${USER}@${HOSTNAME}: ${PWD}\007"'
#    ;;
#*)
#    ;;
#esac
 
# enable bash completion in interactive shells
if [ -f /etc/bash_completion ] && ! shopt -oq posix; then
    . /etc/bash_completion
fi
 
# if the command-not-found package is installed, use it
if [ -x /usr/lib/command-not-found -o -x /usr/share/command-not-found ]; then
	function command_not_found_handle {
	        # check because c-n-f could've been removed in the meantime
                if [ -x /usr/lib/command-not-found ]; then
		   /usr/bin/python /usr/lib/command-not-found -- $1
                   return $?
                elif [ -x /usr/share/command-not-found ]; then
		   /usr/bin/python /usr/share/command-not-found -- $1
                   return $?
		else
		   return 127
		fi
	}
fi

Logout and login again, the prompt and ls output will now be coloured.