 Irvine's elder brother Bobby, who went on to represent Stoke City and was also a Northern Ireland international, played for the opposition.Along with his schoolmate William Donnelly, Irvine often frequented Windsor Park to watch the Northern Ireland national team, and he idolised players such as Jimmy McIlroy and Danny Blanchflower.At 14, Irvine enrolled at Carrick Technical School, where he studied German, physics, chemistry and woodwork.