The club was founded in 1888. The teacher Edward O'Toole was the first captain of the club; he was a member of the
Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and an early influence on
Kevin Barry.[3] Rathvilly won its first Carlow Junior Football Championship in 1916. In 1979 Rathvilly were promoted to the
Carlow Senior Football Championship In 1983 they founded their juvenile section and won their first county championship; since then, they have won eight more.[4]
Rathvilly play at Fr. Ryan Park; in 2019, they received a €14,455 grant for floodlights.[5][6]
The club crest displays the
mottobene cultō nīl ōrnātiu[s]. This is
Latin for "well cultivated, not ornate," and is derived from
Cicero's Cato Maior de Senectute: agro bene culto nihil potest esse nec usu uberius nec specie ornatius ("nothing can be more bountiful for use, or more ornate to the eye, than a well-cultivated farm").[7][8] It also displays images of
Saint Patrick,
Rathvilly Moat, St. Patrick's Church and Rathvilly Bridge over the
River Slaney.[9][10]