The idea for the competition came about in 1968 at
University College Dublin when both Antoin Ó Cearúill from
CLG Ghaoth Dobhair and Antoin de Bairéad from
An Ghaeltacht GAA were playing on the UCD Gaelic football team who won the
Sigerson Cup. They were good friends and decided that their home teams should play each other, de Bairéad brought his team from
Baile an Fheirtéaraigh to Ó Cearúil's
Gaoth Dobhair to play in a friendly. On the 5 January 1969, "in a blizzard" of snow as the
Derry People/Donegal News said, Baile an Fheirtéaraigh GAA won against Gaoth Dobhair by 3–6 to 0–3. Antoin de Bairéad himself scored two points on the day. That evening at a celebratory cabaret in Óstán Radharc na Mara, Antoin de Bairéad, Antoin Ó Cearúill, Seán Delap and Feardorcha Ó Colla decided that there should be a competition between the
Gaeltacht areas similar to the
Sigerson Cup. Sean Delap said he would provide a trophy. On 15 March 1969 the first official meeting for Cómórtas Peile na Gaeltachta was held in the Castle Hotel, Dublin. The following officers were elected: • President: Seán Delap, Gaoth Dobhair. • Vice President: Commandant Seán Ó Colmáin, An Daingean. • Chair: Antoin de Bairéad, Baile an Fheirtéaraigh. • Secretary: Feardorcha Ó Colla, Gaoth Dobhair. • Treasurer: Séamus Mac Gearailt, Corca Dhuibhne. On 23 May 1969 the competition was officially launched at the
Gresham Hotel. Justice Seán Delap donated the trophy and Canon Hamilton from County Clare donated the 72 Medals. The inaugural competition was held in Gweedore, County Donegal on 3 August 1969. There was 8 teams present from 6 counties: one from Dún na nGall, Gaillimh, Port Láirge and an Mhí and two teams from Maigh Eo and Ciarraí. The local club
Gaoth Dobhair being crowned as champions against Baile an Fheirtéaraigh by 2–8 to 2–7. From 1975 onwards, the competition has also been contested at junior level. The 2010 champions were Béal an Mhuirthead from
Mayo at senior level, who won the tournament on home ground, and An Spidéal at junior level. Cloich Cheannfhaola from An Fál Carrach in
Donegal hosted and subsequently won the 2011 senior title, beating Maigh Cuilinn of
Galway in the final on a scoreline of 0-11 to 1-6. At junior level,
Naomh Muire from the Rosses in Donegal won the title by beating Laochra Loch Lao of Belfast on a scoreline of 0-14 to 0-13. The 2012 competition was held in
Gaoth Dobhair, who are the joint most successful club in the competition's history. They managed to win the tournament outright on home soil also, the third consecutive team to do so. They beat Mayo's Cill tSéadhna, a team who remarkably made the final after three games in two days. Even more remarkably, they scored a total of 17 goals in 4 games (15 of them in the first 3 games). Gaoth Dobhair, however, were by far the superior team over the weekend. They won the final on a scoreline of 1–13 to 2–9. An estimated crowd of 10,000 attended the picturesque coastal region for the finals. The
Waterford club
Rinn Ó gCuanach CLG hosted the competition in 2013, having last hosted it in 1999. The
Kerry teams
An Ghaeltacht and Lios Póil won the senior and junior finals respectively that year. The 2017 finals of Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta were played at
Lough Mask for the first time at
Tuar Mhic Éadaigh, County Mayo. The 2020 Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta which was planned to be hosted by Naomh Anna, Leitir Móir, was deferred in response to government guidelines to deal with the
COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland. ==Senior Championship 1969–2025==