It was not held in the years 1940 and 1942–44 due to World War II and in 1972 and 1973 because of The Troubles.
[1] Many players who have appeared in the final of the tournament have gone on to be professional, most notably including two-time World Snooker Champion Alex Higgins, former world number one Mark Allen, 25-time Irish Professional Champion Jackie Rea, World Championship semi-finalist Joe Swail, World Championship quarter-finalist Patrick Wallace (who has won the competition a record eight times) and ranking event winner Jordan Brown.
Other players who have gone on to be professional include Tommy Murphy, Jack McLaughlin, Martin O’Neill, Michael Duffy, Declan Hughes, Julian Logue, Joe Meara, Sean O'Neill, Dermot McGlinchey and Robbie McGuigan.
Currently Allen, Brown and McGuigan are playing on the World Snooker Tour.
The current champion is Darren Dornan, who defeated Ryan McQuillan 10–5 in the 2024 final to win the national title for the first time in his career