Irvine was signed by Linfield as a teenager in 1957 from Carrick Tech and established himself in the first team at Windsor Park when at 16.
[3] In June 1963 Irvine was transferred to Stoke City for £6,000 and made his debut in the opening game of the season, a 2–1 defeat of Spurs.
[4] The brothers met in the centre circle to shake hands and toss the coin and then played against each other for the first time since schooldays.
[5] Irvine's career at the Victoria Ground was brought to an end after an FA Cup third-round game against Walsall.
[6] Irvine was capped at both schoolboy and Under 23 level for Northern Ireland before making his senior debut against the Netherlands in Rotterdam in 1962.