Sir Samuel Thompson Irwin CBE (3 July 1877 – 21 June 1961), often known as S. T. Irwin, was an Irish rugby player,

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

and unionist politician. Born in Claudy,

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

, Irwin studied at

Foyle College Foyle College is a co-educational non-denominational voluntary grammar school in Derry, Northern Ireland. The school's legal name is Foyle and Londonderry College. In 1976, two local schools, Foyle College and Londonderry High School, merged unde ...

and Queen's College, Belfast."In Memoriam: Samuel Thompson"
''

The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery ''The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery'' is a biweekly peer reviewed medical journal in the field of orthopedic surgery. It is published by the non-profit corporation The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc. It was established as the ''Transact ...

'', Vol.43B, No.4, pp.844-845 While studying, Irwin played for the Irish national rugby union team in nine Home Nations Championship matches, between 1900 and 1903, and he also played

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

to a high level.Samuel Irwin
, ESPN Scrum In 1911, Irwin was elected as a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and began working at the

Ulster Hospital for Children Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label=Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingd ...

, where he developed an interest in orthopaedics, and he took up membership of the British Orthopaedic Association. He spent most of his career at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, but during World War I he worked at the

Ulster Volunteer Force Hospital Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label=Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingd ...

, serving in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

. He was the chair of the Northern Ireland Medical War Committee during World War II, and received the CBE for this work. Irwin continued his sporting interests, and was elected President of the Irish Rugby Union in 1935, and was Captain of the Royal County Down Golf Club in 1947/8. On retirement from his medical post, he stood for the Ulster Unionist Party at a 1948 by-election for the

Queen's University of Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

seat, and held this until his death in 1961. Alongside this, he served on the senate of the university, and sat on a wide range of committees, including serving as President of the Central Presbyterian Association. He was knighted in 1957. Irwin's son Sinclair Irwin also played rugby for Ireland and worked as a surgeon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, Samuel 1877 births 1961 deaths Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Ireland international rugby union players Queen's University RFC players Irish rugby union players Rugby union forwards Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1945–1949 Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1949–1953 Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1953–1958 Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1958–1962 Medical doctors from County Londonderry Royal Army Medical Corps officers Irish orthopaedic surgeons Ulster Unionist Party members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland for Queen's University of Belfast Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Irish military doctors Military personnel from County Londonderry