Kirby was the first Irishman man to join the Professional Darts Corporation (then known as the World Darts Council) and entered its inaugural World Championship in 1994, where he won Group 7 by set difference ahead of John Lowe to reach the quarter finals, losing to eventual winner Dennis Priestley.
Kirby also reached the quarter finals of the 1994 WDC UK Matchplay, beating Cliff Lazarenko in the first round before losing to Jamie Harvey.
Kirby then returned to the UK Open the same year, reaching the third round where he lost to Colin Lloyd.
Good performances in the regional finals of the 2006 UK Open earned him a spot in the third round proper but lost to Andy Callaby.
A PDC tournament, the Irish Matchplay, was renamed the Tom Kirby Memorial Trophy in his honour.