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.

His service to the county as an official was recognized with the posthumous dedication of the Joe Ward Cup in his honour, for the winners of the Louth Senior Football Championship.

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[7] and the victorious team were trained by former Irelanders' captain Jim Quigley.

[8] 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.

[10] 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.

[13] 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.

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.

[17] 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.

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.

[27] 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.

[30] Players have traditionally come from the Seatown area of central Dundalk close to where the St. Mary's College grounds – the club's home pitch for several decades – are located.

Town neighbours Seán O'Mahony's and Clan na Gael have provided local opposition at the intermediate grade in recent years.

Current and former players, who have represented Louth at senior inter-county level, include: ‡ Shared with Seán O'Mahony's and Geraldines