 Five years later, he made his debut for the Northern Ireland national under-23 football team, when he played alongside his brother Bobby in the 1–5 defeat to Wales on 27 February 1963.During the next two years, he played twice more for the under-23 team, scoring three goals for the side.Irvine received his first call-up to the Northern Ireland senior team in April 1963, one month before he made his professional debut for Burnley.