The name Kirkby was used by the Furness Railway company during the construction of its Cumbrian Coast Line, and was the name they gave to the station which serves these hamlets.

The parish of Kirkby Ireleth, a name of Norse origin, is listed in the Domesday Book as one of the townships forming the Manor of Hougun which was held by Tostig Godwinson, Earl of Northumbria.

The nearby Kirkby Moor rises to 333 metres (1,093 ft) above sea level which features a 12 turbine wind farm.

The village has an increasingly aged population due to the rise in house prices and lack of homes suitable for first time buyers.

A small shop with limited opening hours is available at Longlands Holiday Park, a private static caravan park, near Chapels[4] and a post office comes to the community centre every Thursday morning, and there is a service station,[5] centrally located in Kirkby at Four Lane Ends and a cafe that is open three days a week - Sunday to Tuesday only - opposite the railway station.

Numerous footpaths either originate in, or pass through, the village including the Cumbria Coastal Way from Silverdale in Lancashire to Gretna just over the border in Scotland.

Kirkby is situated on the A595 giving direct access to Askam, Dalton-in-Furness and Barrow-in-Furness to the south and villages and towns on the Cumbria Coast to Whitehaven and beyond.