The Irk's name is of obscure etymology,[1] but may be Brittonic in origin and related to the Welsh word iwrch, meaning roebuck.

In the 16th century, throwing carrion and other offensive matter into the Irk was forbidden.

[4] According to The New Gazetteer of Lancashire (1830) the Irk had "more mill seats upon it than any other stream of its length in the Kingdom" and "the eels in this river were formerly remarkable for their fatness, which was attributed to the grease and oils expressed by the mills from the woollen cloths and mixed with the waters.

Friedrich Engels described the banks of the Irk in Manchester at the height of the city's industrial excess.

Ten people were killed and 58 injured in what became known as the Irk Valley Junction disaster.