His successor as organist and choirmaster at Sacred Heart was Karl Buesgen, Birmelin's student and noted Pennsylvania impressionist landscape painter.

Birmelin was also the first music teacher at Allentown Central Catholic High School, a position he held from 1926 to 1936.

Although he wrote some poetry and verse as a young child, Birmelin did not begin writing again until later ins life.

"Regina Hartmann" tells about the return of a Pennsylvania German girl taken prisoner during the French and Indian War.

Birmelin's Pennsylvania German translation of the song "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" continues to be sung at Fersommling and other Pennsylvania German events: Mei Land, ich sing von dir,Siess iss die Freiheet mir,Do will ich sei;So wie die alde Leit,So fiehl ich aa noch heit,Bin dir zu yedre ZeitImmer gedrei.An Felsebaerrye naus,Iwwer die Wolke drauss,Ring Freiheetsklang!Winters im diefe Schnee,Summers wann's Feld mit Glee,O Land, wie bischt du schee,Kling Freiheets Gsang!Unsrer Voreldre Gott,Fiehr uns in yedre Not,An deinre Hand!So lang mir dir gedrei,Bleibt des Land gross un frei;Du sollscht uns Keenich sei,Schutz unserm Land.According to Homer Tope Rosenberger, Birmelin "had the power to write compelling poetry in the dialect that makes one sad, or joyous, pensive, or reminiscent" and that Birmelin's poetry had "a special quality because he weighed carefully the sound of dialect words.