In August 1995 Ireland beat Scotland at the RDS Arena in Dublin as a curtain raiser to the charity shield match between Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors.

[8] Following their appearance at the 1995 Emerging Nations Tournament, they were invited to the Super League World Nines in Fiji where they finished 8th.

The Irish team improved its standards but this development gave less opportunity for Irish-based players to get a chance to play.

Finishing top of their group, the Irish eventually lost 26–16 to England in the quarter-finals, but the performance set the scene for future developments in Ireland.

[11] Ireland were drawn against Lebanon and Russia in Europe's 2008 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying Pool Two.

Ireland was granted automatic entry to the tournament due to their strong showing in the 2008 World Cup.

Ireland lost all three group matches including a 0–50 defeat to eventual champions Australia in front of 5,021 fans at Thomond Park.

[16][17][18] Ireland started 2021 Rugby League World Cup qualification campaign in the 2018 European Championship, where they finished third with a win against Scotland and two losses against France and Wales.

[21] In March 2024, the International Rugby League deemed that Ireland had been non-compliant with the terms of the IRL membership policy and consequently would be reclassified as an affiliate member.

[22] This decision also made Ireland ineligible to participate in qualifiers for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.

[22] Updated as of 30 October 2024 The 24-man national team squad selected for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup was announced on 29 September 2022.