Irvine's IC Skills List

Riding:  Irvine knows how to ride horses best.  This came in handy on the herding drives.  Chocobo, however, were a completely different experience.  Though he's learned to deal with them as part of his training at Balamb, he's not overly fond of them, missing the graceful beauty of the horses he'd ridden on the herding drives.  He is not, however, familiar with more modernized forms of travel.  i.e. he does not know how to drive any kind of car.

Firearm Expertise:  Irvine has a natural talent for firearms, somewhat akin to Mozart and music.   This includes proper care, loading and cleaning of said firearms.  There are none better with a gun currently known.  He does things that simply shouldn't be possible, possessing a rare speed and dexterity with his chosen weapon.  He may brag about it, but he's not far off from the truth, aggravatingly enough.

Reading and Language:  Though it's rare, he was tutored in Galbadia.  After all, a Holy Knight in training must know how to read the scriptures at the very least.  His reading skill isn't magnificent, but he can get by.  He can read the fancy religious language of the Galbadians, as well as speak it with a moderate amount of fluency.  He's also versed in the common trader's tongue, which was primarily used by his foster parents while he was growing up.  Since arriving in Balamb, he has picked up enough Balambese to get by and is steadily gaining full fluency.  He tends to use trader's tongue however, most of the time.

Theology:  He knows far more about the Galbadian 'God' then he cares to.  His brief training as a 'Holy Knight' provided him with more doctrines and scriptures dropped in his lap then he really ever wanted to memorize, and even bonding to Badb didn't chase them out of his memory.  If anyone has a question about how the Galbadian religion works, Irvine can answer it, even if it embarasses him to admit it.

Survival:  Self explanatory, he knows how to survive outside the normal, comfortable conventions of home.  This came long before he became a student at either Galbadia or Balamb.  Long drives out on the plains of Galbadia meant you had to know how to build shelters, cook and hunt your own game, and other sundry tasks.  He's actually fairly good at it, and this part of his SeeD training was a breeze.

Sharpshooting:  Irvine has yet another rare talent besides his firearms expertise.  He's got the eagle eye, and can spot, lock onto and shoot targets from great distances.  (The Squaresoft version of Hawkeye, I suppose.)

Ammunition Expertise:  Guns aren't a normal thing within Balamb and Galbadia, the technology and practices of making salt peter and ammunition are somewhat difficult to master for those not used to such weapons.  Irvine's got rudimentary knowledge in how to create the necessary ammunition for his weapon of choice.  If he has the appropriate components and necessary tools, he can, given some time, create what he needs.  And no, he cannot make anything other then normal ammo. 

Demolitions Knowledge:  It's limited, but he does possess some.  Mostly, he knows how to combine certain chemicals to make interesting combustable items.  When it comes to timers and such, he's lost.

Generic SeeD Info:  Irvine's a later comer, which means he's had less time to learn these things then others have.  Most of what he knows is rudimentary SeeD history and information.

Astronomy:  Using the stars as a guide on the herding drives, Irvine's father often located their direction at night.  He taught some of this to his foster son.  Irvine can't get around too well using the same technique, but he can point out constallations easily enough.  If forced to, he could probably get by using the stars as guidance, but he'd be hard pressed to recall all of it. On a side note, he does get a kick out of using this knowledge to attract certain females into going out at night to 'gaze at the stars'. 

Area Knowledge:  Irvine isn't familiar with Balamb as much as he is Galbadia's wilderness areas.  But, he does have practical knowledge about various terrains, drilled into his head repeatedly in the training he's received since arriving at Balamb Garden.  Galbadia, however, he could probably traverse the wilderness there with his eyes closed... ok, not quite, but he does know the layout.