John Adams, Jeff Shumaker, Tom Guidiotti (Dr. Doom), and Jerry Cave called friends and fellow players with the idea.

In coordination with Bob Kimmitt, Jay Kimmitt, Pat Martell, Don Cotchen, Greg Merrill, Herb Berst, Mike McGowan, AB Behnia, John Braun, Jim Borrell, John Fiore, Eric Edgington, Steve Gannon, Randy Bryant, Jack McCarthy, Jim McVey, Keith Bonner and others, the new club was formed.

The team developed an unofficial clubhouse at the Irish Times bar and benefited from the presence of many military personnel in the Washington, D.C., area.

The first match was in March 1980 on the Washington Mall in front of the Lincoln Memorial against the team that started it all – the Richmond Area Touring Side.

Mike Scully actually cooked the Saturday night dinner the club served to the visiting team at the American Legion Hall on Capitol Hill, and John Mulligan did the program which included letters of welcome from President Ronald Reagan and Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill.

The Division 3 side has a competitive schedule against teams in Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and functions to introduce the game to newer players and prepare them for the next level.

In 2017, after winning the MAC championship and reaching the national USA Rugby Club D2 Round of Eight, the Washington Irish's D2 side was promoted to Division 1.