[1] The Irish Repertory Theatre was founded by Ciarán O'Reilly and Charlotte Moore and opened its doors in September 1988[1] with Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars.

[2]In 1995, the company moved to its permanent home in Chelsea on three completely renovated floors of a former warehouse, allowing for both a Main Stage theatre and a smaller studio space, the W. Scott McLucas Studio.

[1] Irish American Writers & Artists Inc. honored the theatre with the Eugene O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

For the 2014–15 season, Irish Rep's performances were held at the DR2 Theater near Union Square.

For The Dead, 1904, the building had 57 guests at a time, who for part of the performance joined the cast for a holiday feast drawn from the original novella.