The first known settler here was Maurice Sullivan from County Kerry, followed by John Quinlan and families like the McCarthys and Dillons. Around 1877, the settlers built a small log church called St. Colman (named for an Irish saint) on land Sullivan had sold to the Catholic Bishop. This was the first Roman Catholic church in Raleigh County. Sadly, arsonists destroyed it in 2022.

In 2023, a large 963-acre section of Irish Mountain was officially added to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, helping to ensure its preservation.

There is another, separate Irish Mountain associated with the Irish Tract settlement in Greenbrier and Summers counties.