At the end of his debut season with Dundee, Irving was appointed captain of the first team. After failing to win their opening two games of the 1921–22 campaign, Irving led his side to victory over Third Lanark after which the "Dundee Courier" remarked that there was "probably no more popular player" at the club than Irving. These early performances led to him being considered for his first selection for the Ireland national football team, but he was denied a call up due to injury. These persistent problems would disrupt most of the remaining season as he missed several months at the start of 1922 with injuries, before returning in April. Dundee achieved another fourth-place finish during the season.