The club was founded in 1884 by members of the Dundalk Young Ireland literary and debating Society. A team was entered in the inaugural
Louth Senior Football Championship of 1887 which went on to win the competition, defeating
Dowdallshill in the final on a scoreline of 0–03 to 0–02. The
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was also held for the first time that year. As county champions, Young Irelands represented Louth and reached the final after wins over the champions of
Waterford and
Wexford. They lost the final to
Limerick Commercials on a scoreline of 1–04 to 0–03, at Beech Hill in
Dublin. File:Sporting History - Beech Hill, Donnybrook (494027521).jpg|The Beech Hill field in Donnybrook, where the 1887 All-Ireland Final was played File:1887 All-Ireland Football Championship runners-up and Louth Senior Champions.png|Young Irelands team – 1887 All-Ireland finalists and Louth champions Charles McAlester was a key figure in the early years of the club and county GAA organisation. He was the first Secretary of the Louth County Board (1887–88), Organising Secretary of Dundalk Young Irelands (1885–August 1886), and later served as club Secretary (1886–87; 1890–91) and Chairman (1903–05; 1909–13). McAlester also played on the Young Irelands team that won the inaugural Louth Senior Football Championship in 1887. In 1903, Dundalk Young Irelands became the first‑ever winners of the Louth Senior Football League, further cementing their status as one of the county’s early dominant clubs. The Irelanders were senior champions twice more in the early years of the next century, with victories against Tredaghs of Drogheda in 1905 and
Geraldines in 1911. Joe Ward represented Young Irelands at administrative level in
Louth GAA. He was
Chairman of the county board in 1910 and again from 1917 to 1920. One of three Louth selectors in
1910 for the county's first
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship success. He is credited with the introduction of the red jersey as part of the uniform of Louth inter-county teams. His service to
Louth GAA was recognized with the posthumous dedication of the Joe Ward Cup in his honour, for the winners of the
Louth Senior Football Championship. A period in the junior ranks of Louth football was to follow for the club, ending with a defeat of Darver Young Irelands in the
Louth Junior Football Championship final of 1937. In 1938, the Irelanders won both the
Louth Senior Football Championship and the
Cardinal O'Donnell Cup, thus completing a rare 'Double' of Senior League and Championship. Back-to-back senior championship titles followed in 1940 and 1941, with defeats of
Cooley Kickhams and
Dundalk Gaels respectively. The Double was won again in both years. Future
county team manager Jim Quigley captained the Irelanders to another championship win over
Cooley Kickhams in 1944 and again in 1947 when they clinched a ninth senior title, with a replay win against Owen Roe's of Drogheda. 1950 was an outstanding year for Young Irelands as both the senior and junior teams would win their respective championships. The seniors triumphed over St Magdalene's of Drogheda after a replay on a scoreline of 0–08 to 0–05, while the junior side defeated Dowdallshill by a point, 2–01 to 0–06. There would be no more championship success for the Irelanders in the 1950s, although they did manage to win the Old Gaels cup in 1957. 1957 was another memorable year for the club, as three of their players started on the Louth side that won the
1957 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final against Cork and the victorious team were trained by former Irelanders' captain Jim Quigley. Challenging times would lie ahead as the Dundalk municipal Athletic Grounds – where the club played their home matches – was sold in 1960 to
Clarks, who built a shoe factory on the site. Young Irelands’ fortunes declined considerably in the 1960s to the point where they were unable to enter teams in competitions. The Irelanders were now effectively homeless, until the local
Marist Fathers allowed the club to use the grounds of their
secondary school for training and playing purposes. The club decided to rebuild at junior level and focus on youth development. File:Dundalk Young Irelands Athletic Ground Pitch along Rampart Lane with St.Patricks Church in the background.jpg|Former Athletic Grounds with St Patrick’s Church in background File:Dundalk Young Irelands Athletic Ground Pitch along Rampart Lane with St.Patricks Church to the left.jpg|Another view with St Patrick’s Church to the left File:Dundalk Young Irelands Athletic Ground Stand.jpg|The old Athletic Grounds stand In 1977 the Irelanders won their third
Junior Championship title, beating Oliver Plunketts 1–12 to 0–06 in the final at Knockbridge. Now back in senior football, their success continued in 1978 as the club won the
Cardinal O'Donnell Cup with a 1–11 to 0–04 victory over
Ardee St Mary's in the league final at Louth Village. 1978 was also the year that Louth would win their second
Leinster Under-21 title, with victory against
Offaly in the final. The club had three representatives on the panel – Séamus Haughey, Larry Goodman and Michael McCabe. Louth were narrowly beaten in the
All-Ireland semi-final by
Kerry at the
Gaelic Grounds, 2–10 to 0–14. In 1979 the Irelanders reached the final of the
senior championship for the first time since 1950, where they met
Cooley Kickhams at St Brigid's Park. Then the dominant side in Louth football, Cooley were expected to win a 4th consecutive title. Young Irelands, however, outscored them by three points (0–11 to 1–05) to take home the Joe Ward Cup. The team returned to the county final again in 1980 at Ardee but were upset by
Roche Emmets on a scoreline of 2–03 to 0–06. 1981 would see Louth clinch a third provincial title at the
Under-21 grade. Once again there was Young Irelands' involvement, as the side was captained by midfielder Pat McConnon. Goalkeeper Eugene McArdle and right half-back Kieran Maguire joined him on the team. Longford were defeated in the decider by 2–08 to 0–06. Galway would prove too strong for the Wee County in the All-Ireland semi-final. The Irelanders remained competitive throughout the Eighties without winning further league or championship honours. Their long-standing aim of having a permanent ground of their own was achieved in 1983, when a plot of land was purchased in Upper Marshes, Dundalk from the local council. Páirc Éire Óg staged its first competitive match in 1989. Competing at
intermediate level in the early 1990s, the club reached championship finals in 1991 and 1993 but lost both times, to
Dundalk Gaels and
Hunterstown Rovers respectively. In 1996, they made it third time lucky with a 0–14 to 1–08 win over Naomh Fionnbarra at Castlebellingham. The new
Millennium would find the Irelanders in Division 3, having first being relegated to the
Intermediate grade, followed by a further relegation to junior football at the end of 2000. Some lean years would be in store for the club, as prospects were hindered by the retirements of senior players. Nevertheless, Young Irelands continued to plan for the future, with underage development receiving priority. These efforts were rewarded in 2006 when a side containing several minors clinched the MacArdle Cup as Division 3 League winners. The club then went one better in 2007 by winning the
Junior Championship for a fourth time in their history by beating St Mochta's 1–07 to 0–07. A championship double was almost achieved when the minors won through to the final of the
Louth Minor Football Championship, only to lose to
Geraldines by 1–12 to 1–07. The Junior success of 2007 was built upon with another Division 3 League title in 2009. A 2–11 to 1–11 defeat of
O'Raghallaighs in the 2010
Intermediate Championship final at
Ardee brought the Green-and-Blacks back to Senior football for the first time since the late 1990s. They would return to intermediate football after being relegated two years later. A further relegation in 2017 saw the club fall to the junior grade after winning just one out of seventeen matches. The 2018 season would prove to be another momentous year in Young Irelands' history as they won three major trophies. The Christy Bellew Cup for the
Junior Championship was won with victory over Glyde Rangers, followed by the Division 3 Junior League and finally the
Leinster Junior Club Football Championship. This was the first time a Louth club had won this provincial competition. The Irelanders beat the junior champions of
Westmeath,
Laois and
Kilkenny on their way to winning the Leinster title with a 2–10 to 2–07 win over St Brigid's of Offaly at the
Gaelic Grounds in December. They then met
Kerry's Beaufort in the semi-finals of the
All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship on 20 January 2019 at
O'Moore Park, Portlaoise. Despite leading by three points at half-time, the Irelanders went down 0–12 to 0–10 to the competition's eventual winners. The club currently competes in the Louth Intermediate championship and in Division 2 of the county's football leagues, which they won in 2021. Eamonn Morgan will manage the men's senior team in the 2025 season. In August 2025, the club launched a Strategic Development Plan (2025-2030) to set out plans to improve and expand the club. ==Catchment area==