Irwin was born in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. He is the brother of fellow motorcycle racer Andrew Irwin. His early competitive career was established in regional championships, where he secured the Irish Clubman 125 title in 2008. He followed this in 2009 by winning both the Ulster Supersport Championship and the Supersport Cup.
Irwin entered the British Championship paddock in 2010. In 2011, he finished as runner-up in the National Superstock 600 Championship to Keith Farmer, earning the status of the series' top rookie. He moved into the British Supersport Championship in 2012, finishing ninth overall and winning the privateer's title. After a second ninth-place championship finish with Mar-Train Yamaha in 2013, Irwin moved to Gearlink Kawasaki for 2014. He took his maiden British Supersport victory at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit and finished the season fourth in the standings, a result he repeated in 2015 with three wins and ten podiums.
In 2016, Irwin joined the British Superbike (BSB) class with the PBM Ducati team as teammate to Shane Byrne. He finished his debut season 12th in the standings. He remained with PBM for 2017, securing his first BSB race win at Silverstone. The 2018 season marked a significant advancement in form; Irwin qualified for the "Showdown" for the first time and finished third in the championship after taking a victory at the Brands Hatch season finale.
Following a difficult 2019 season that saw brief, unsuccessful stints with JG Speedfit Kawasaki and Tyco BMW, Irwin joined the Honda Racing Team in 2020 alongside his brother, Andrew. He finished fourth in the 2020 standings and eighth in 2021. His 2022 campaign with Honda was his most successful to date, featuring a hat-trick of wins at the Silverstone opening round and a double win at Brands Hatch, ultimately finishing the season as championship runner-up.
Irwin returned to PBM Ducati for the 2023 season. In a closely contested title race against teammate Tommy Bridewell, Irwin lost the championship by half-a-point. Despite the death of team owner Paul Bird, Irwin continued with the renamed PBM Racing in 2024 as a single-rider entry.
Irwin’s tenure with PBM ended abruptly during the 2025 season. Following an injury sustained at Snetterton in June, a disagreement arose regarding his return to competition and the team's recruitment of Scott Redding during his absence. On 5 August 2025, Irwin parted ways with Hager PBM Ducati by mutual consent. Irwin stated he had been declared orthopaedically fit and expressed that he felt "a bit hurt" by the team's actions, suggesting his loyalty had not been reciprocated. He subsequently joined Nitrous Competitions OMG Racing for the remainder of the 2025 season as teammate to Kyle Ryde.
Irwin is established as one of the most successful Superbike competitors at the North West 200, with eleven victories in the category. This record includes double wins at the 2018 and 2022 meetings. His debut at the event in 2017 saw him defeat Alastair Seeley by a margin of 0.172 seconds. In the British Superbike Championship, his statistical peak occurred between 2022 and 2023, where he secured consecutive runner-up positions in the final standings.
Irwin has balanced his short-circuit career with high-profile road racing events. In 2017, he won the Macau Grand Prix, defeating Peter Hickman. Although his planned 2020 Isle of Man TT debut was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he eventually competed in 2022. During that event, he finished eighth in the Superbike TT and set the current newcomer lap record of 129.85 mph. He has also made appearances in the European Superstock 600 Championship in 2010 and 2011 riding Kawasaki machinery.
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