[1] His parents were Ignacio Irigoyen Echenique (c. 11 March 1728 – 17 February 1787) and Francisca de la Quintana Riglos (24 Sep 1734 – 14 June 1815).

[1] He travelled to Spain as a child, entered the navy in his youth, and was wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

[2] After passing through Rio de Janeiro, where he met the British ambassador, Lord Strangford, he traveled to London.

[3] From 1817 to 1820 he served as Minister of War and Navy for the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, during the governments of Juan Martín de Pueyrredón, José Rondeau and Juan Pedro Aguirre y López.

After the Battle of Cepeda in February 1820, Irigoyen was named Governor-Mayor of Buenos Aires (9 to 11 February), but because of the dissolution of the Directorate and the formation of provincial governments, he was posted as provisional governor of the newly created Buenos Aires Province until the assumption of Manuel de Sarratea.