The first Kilrea Gaelic football club was established on the 15 November 1943. The club was named O'Cahan's Kilrea and played in blue and gold jerseys.^[1] Many of the inaugural Minor team of 1946 went on to help Kilrea win the Junior Championship in 1951. In the early 1950s the club changed its name to the Kevin Barry's, named after the patriot Kevin Barry and played in black and amber colours. Their nickname was "the B's".

Soon after, in 1956, the current club, Pádraig Pearse's GAC Kilrea was formed, and choose to play in red and white shirts. The club won Junior League and South Derry Championships before moving to compete in Senior football in 1958.

In 1966 the Pearse's won the inaugural Under 16 Championship. Part of that team was Martin O'Neill, who would later go onto play professional soccer and manage Glasgow Celtic and Aston Villa.^[1] Members of this team went on to win the County Minor title in 1970. The club won the 1971 Derry Junior Football Championship and won the Derry Intermediate Championship four years later.

By 1979 Kilrea had been successful, however they went in to the doldrums of football at all age levels for 15 odd years. Recently the club have been successful at all underage levels, but this has not transferred itself to the Senior stage, evidenced by the fact that the Derry Senior Football Championship still eludes them.

Sadly, the national sport of hurling has continued to be treated with disdain by prominent members of the club. Despite the club being pipped at the post in a play-off in the 1977 U-12 all-county league, lack of support from those in power saw the demise of the game in the parish thereafter. However, that hasn't stopped young lads from the parish representing neighbouring clubs with honour winning club and college honours at county, provincial and national level.