Irrupt and
erupt have existed side-by-side since the former entered the English language in the 1800s (
erupt had been a part of the language for over two centuries at that point). Both are descendants of the Latin verb
rumpere, which means "to break," but
irrupt has affixed to it the prefix
ir- (in the sense "into") while
erupt begins with the prefix
e-
(meaning "out"). So "to irrupt" was
originally to rush in, and "to
erupt" was to burst out. But it's sometimes hard to distinguish the
precise direction of a violent rush, and
irrupt came to be used as a synonym of
erupt in the senses "to become active or violent especially suddenly" and "to break forth."
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