[1] Her father Thomas Smith died in a shipping accident when she was six months old, and her mother Margaret (née Sproule) later remarried.

[1] Irvine-Smith attended Wellington Girls' College from 1892, and in 1897 began teaching at a private school in Thorndon.

In 1901 she entered Victoria University College, continuing to also teach in schools in Hawkes Bay and Taranaki, until finally graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1908.

[1] After completing her master's degree, Irvine-Smith moved from secondary school teaching to a lecturing position at Wellington Teachers College.

[4] In 1947, Irvine-Smith successfully organised a petition to the Wellington City Council for a library to be established in the suburb of Khandallah.