During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the four Home Nations — England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales — contested regular internationals against each other.

[2] However, Noel Purcell won a gold medal on the Great Britain team at the 1920 Olympic water polo tournament.

[9] Although Home International matches continued into the 1960s, the transition to higher-specification indoor swimming pools was long delayed in Ireland.

The IWPA was established in 1964 and the first pool to meet FINA regulations for length, breadth, and depth opened in 2002.

[1] In October 2019, Ireland competed in the 2019 FINA Water Polo Challengers' Cup, finishing 2nd in their group winning three out of the four games.