The competition began in the 1982 school year. It was initially dominated by schools from
Ulster, with the first fourteen winners coming from that province. The monopoly was finally broken in 1996-97 15th tournament, when Newpark School from
Dublin became the first winners from
Leinster. Ashton were the first school from
Munster to win the All Ireland tournament. In 2019 all four semifinalists hailed from Leinster, with eventual winners, The High School, defeating King's Hospital 1-0 to reach their first ever final. The same scoreline stood in the other semi, where Wesley College were beaten by tournament runners-up St. Andrew's College. == Format ==