Irish Mob

The Irish Mob, is one of the oldest organized crime groups in the United States, in existence since the early 19th century. Originating in Irish American street gangs, as immortalized in Herbert Asbury's 1926 book The Gangs of New York, the Irish Mob has appeared in most major American cities, including Boston, New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City.

In Canada, the West End Gang of Montreal is a force in the city's underworld. Irish, English and Scottish cities including London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, and Glasgow also have a history of Irish gang activities.

In the United States

Boston

Prohibition

Boston has a well-chronicled history of Irish mafia activity, particularly in the heavily Irish-American neighborhoods like Somerville, Charlestown, South Boston ("Southie"), Dorchester and Roxbury where the earliest Irish gangsters arose during Prohibition. Frank Wallace of the Gustin Gang dominated Boston's underworld until his death in 1931, when he was ambushed by Italian gangsters in the North End. Numerous gang wars between rival Irish gangs during the early and mid 20th century would contribute to their decline.

The Winter Hill Gang

The Winter Hill Gang, a loose confederation of Boston-area organized crime figures, was one of the most successful organized crime groups in American history. It controlled the Boston underworld from the early 1960s until the mid 1990s. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, north of Boston, and was founded by first boss James "Buddy" McLean.

While Winter Hill Gang members were alleged to have been involved with most typical organized crime related activities, they are perhaps best known for fixing horse races in the northeastern United States. Twenty-one members and associates, including Howie Winter, were indicted by federal prosecutors in 1979.

The gang was then taken over by James J. "Whitey" Bulger and hitman Stephen J. "The Rifleman" Flemmi, who was of both Irish and Italian heritage.

The Winter Hill Gang also played a central role in the Boston Irish Mob Wars of the 1960s between Winter Hill leader James McLean and Bernard McLaughlin's Charlestown Mob.

Irish Mob Wars

The Irish Mob Wars were conflicts in throughout the 1960s between the two dominant Irish-American organized crime gangs in Massachusetts: the Charlestown Mob in Boston, led by brothers Bernard and Edward "Punchy" McLaughlin, and the Winter Hill Gang of Somerville (just north of Boston) headed by James "Buddy" McLean. The war resulted in the eradication of the Charlestown Mob with all its leaders having been either killed or put in prison and the death of Buddy McLean, who was succeeded by his right hand man, Howie Winter. The remnants of the Charlestown Mob were then absorbed into the Winter Hill Gang, who were then able to become the dominant Irish Mob in the New England area.

Recent years

During the 1970s and 80s, the FBI's Boston office was largely infiltrated through corrupt federal agent John J. Connolly, by which Whitey Bulger was able to use his status as a government informant against his rivals (the extent of which would not be revealed until the mid to late 1990s). This was the basis for the book Black Mass and served as the inspiration for the fictional film The Departed.

New York

Pre-prohibition

During the Gangs of New York era, countless Irish-American street gangs such as the Forty Thieves, Dead Rabbits and the Whyos dominated New York's underworld for well over a century before facing competition from others, primarily recently arriving Italian and Jewish gangs during the 1880s and 90s. Although gang leaders such as Monk Eastman of the Eastmans and Paul Kelly of the Five Points Gang would rise to prominence during the early 1900s, others such as the Hudson Dusters and the Gopher Gang would remain formidable rivals during the period. The strongest of them all is said to be Samuel Guard II, the "Don" of the "Stewarts Clan."

However, with the emergence of Italian criminal organizations such as the Morello crime family and the Black Hand gangs encroaching on the long Irish-held New York waterfront, the various Irish gangs which had plagued the area for decades united to form the White Hand Gang during the early-1900s. Although initially successful in keeping their Italian rivals at bay, its unstable leadership and infighting would prove the gang's downfall as the murders of Dennis "Dinny" Meehan, "Wild" Bill Lovett and Richard "Peg Leg" Lonergan would cause the White Hand to disappear by the mid-1920s as the waterfront was taken over by the Italian mobsters Vincent Mangano, Albert "Mad Hatter" Anastasia, and Joe Adonis.

Prohibition

During the early years of Prohibition, "Big" Bill Dwyer emerged among many in New York's underworld as a leading bootlegger. However, following his arrest and trial for violation of the Volsted Act during 1925 and 1926, Dwyer's former partners were split between Owney "The Killer" Madden, a former leader of the Gopher Gang, and Frank Costello (born Francesco Castigglia) against Jack "Legs" Diamond, "Little" Augie Pisano, Charles "Vannie" Higgins and renegade mobster Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll.

The post-war years and the Westies

The Westies is the name of an organized crime gang hailing from the West Side of Manhattan, New York City, in particular from around the Hell's Kitchen area. They were predominantly Irish American.

The most prominent members have included Eddie McGrath, James Coonan, Mickey Featherstone, and Edward "Eddie The Butcher" Cummiskey. During the late 1970s they forged a loose alliance with the Gambino crime family, the Mafia faction then led by Paul Castellano. Coonan was also associated with Roy DeMeo, and DeMeo is thought to have murdered the previous Westie boss Mickey Spillane (no relation to the author of the same name) in order to let Coonan become the leader.

Coonan was imprisoned in 1986 under the RICO act, along with multiple charges of murder. Coonan had let his wife, Edna, become involved in his affairs, and she too was imprisoned.

Mickey Featherstone (who some NYPD from Midtown North Precinct say was the leader of the Westies)became an informant after his arrest in the early 1980s.

The Irish-American gangster Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll is sometimes named as an early member of the Westies, although the solitary nature of his actions often leaves him outside any specific gang.

Philadelphia

Prohibition

Daniel O'Leary fought with Maxie "Boo-Hoo" Hoff over control of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's bootlegging throughout Prohibition.

Post-World War II

In the years following World War II, the Northeast Philly Mob, also known as The K&A Gang, was the dominant Irish gang in the city's underworld. A multi-generational organized crime group made up of predominantly Irish and Irish American gangsters, the Philly Mob origininated from a youth street gang based around the intersections of Kensington and Allegheny, which grew in power as local hoods and blue collar Irish Americans seeking extra income joined its ranks. In time, the group expanded and grew more organized, establishing lucrative markets in gambling, loan sharking, and burglary.

The group shifted gears in the 1980s and expanded into neighborhoods beyond Kensington. It was during this time that Italian Mafioso Ray Matorano and over 36 others were indicted for their alleged involvement in a large methamphetamine ring.

Recent years

The group continued into the 1990s without much publicity. It's alleged they were involved in hits and attempted hits of certain Italian Mafia figures, however these claims are uncertain.

In the 2000s, the group has remained very much under the radar and some speculate they reduced their activities immensely. In 2002 Ray Matorano, upon his release from prison, forged a plan to take over the Philadelphia Mafia. To this end, he requested backing from the Five New York Families and enlisted the help of various biker gangs, including the Pagans and Warlocks. It was also alleged he had hired a couple dozen hitmen from the Northeast Philly Mob for the forthcoming mob war. When Ray Matorano was shot and killed on the way to his doctor's office, the war had ended before it got off the ground.

The group is known to have links to the Italian Mafia, the Irish Republican Army, Biker gangs, the Roofers Union, Polish and Jewish organized crime figures, and various independent drug and hijacking gangs of various European ethnicities.

Chicago

Prohibition

The successors of Michael Cassius McDonald's criminal empire of the previous century, the Irish-American criminal organizations in Chicago were at their peak during Prohibition, specializing in bootlegging and highjacking. However, they would soon be rivaled by Jewish and Italian mobsters, particularly Al Capone and his Chicago Outfit.

The organizations existing before Prohibition--including the North Side Gang, which included Dion "Deanie" O'Banion, George "Bugs" Moran, and Louis "Two-Gun" Alterie; the Southside O'Donnell Brothers; the Westside O'Donnell's; Ragen's Colts; Francis Cavanaugh; the Valley Gang; Roger Touhy; Frank McErlane; and James "Big Jim" O'Leary--all were in competition with Capone for control of the bootlegging market.

Other cities in the United States

East

• Providence-based bootlegger Danny Walsh, an early member of the "Seven Group", was known as one of the leading organized crime figures on the east coast until his disappearance in February 1933.

Central

• In Cleveland, mobsters Danny Greene and John Nardi fought for control over the cities underworld against James Licavoli during the late 1970s.
• John Patrick Looney controlled bootlegging and extortion in Rock Island, Illinois until his eventual arrest, after a two year manhunt, in 1924.
• Egan's Rats ruled over St. Louis criminal operations until the early 1930s.
• The Kansas City Faction has ruled over the Kansas City area from the early 1940s to the present day. Kansas City has one of the largest Irish populations in the Unites States. Some of the family names in the Faction are the O'Malleys, O'Rourks, Flannigans, Flynns, Hennessys, McDonnels, O'Connels, Thompsons, and Donnellys.

South

• George Horace "Kid" McCoy held the Jefferson County and Shelby County, Alabama underworld under his control in the 1920s and 30s until Donald "Little Man" Popwell had McCoy killed on December 24, 1938 at a Christmas Party in Bessemer, Alabama.
• In Birmingham, Alabama, Carlton C. "The General" Russell was named boss of the Celtics in Alabama by the New Orleans Commission. Not long after "The General" ordered a hit on Georgia's Celtic Boss, Roy Sirus. The murder is currently a cold case file in the Fulton County Sheriff's files. A Grand Jury failed to take action in the case (2002).
• In Savannah, Georgia, Johnny Bouhan, an attorney, held significant influence over county and city government until the late 1960's. He was loosely allied with the Dixie Mafia but a falling-out after Bouhan's death led to the arson of his law firm, Bouhan, Williams, and Levy. This was widely believed to be a retaliation for the law firm filing suit against a Toombs County, Georgia judge who was a leader in the Dixie Mafia.

North

• The twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have also been the base for several colorful Irish-American gangsters. During Prohibition, St. Paul's underworld was ruled over by "Dapper" Danny Hogan prior to his murder in 1928. In Minneapolis, his equivalents were "Big" Ed Morgan and Thomas W. Banks.

Elsewhere in the world

Europe

• In Glasgow, Patrick O'Meara, a previously unknown footsoldier famously killed local mobster, Declan O'Sullivan, about which the song O'Meara's Grace, was written. O'Meara then rose to become one of Glasgow's top gangsters.
• In 1932, Irish mobster Michael McCarthy shot the then local Crime Boss (and anti-partition IRA leader), Aodh MacCarthai on the steps of Newry Police Station as he was being released after questioning.

Australia

• In Australia, Melbourne has a long history of Irish organized crime stemming from the poor Irish Catholic working classes. Many Melbourne trade unions have been infiltrated or brought under the mob's control. Originating from waterfront workers in the Melbourne docklands after World War II, they controlled a large part of the drug trade until the old Painters and Dockers Union was disbanded in 1984. Since the late 1990s, the Moran family is one of the more powerful Irish crime families in Melbourne and allegedly played a significant role in the 1998-2006 Melbourne gangland killings.

Irish mob in popular culture

Films

Irish mobsters appeared as characters in the early "gangster" films of the 1930s and film noir of the 1940s. These roles are often dentified with actors such as James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Frank McHugh, Ralph Bellamy, Spencer Tracy, Lynne Overman, and Frank Morgan (although Bellamy and Overman were not of Irish descent), as well as stars including Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson.

• Underworld (1927), Prohibition gangster Bull Weed (George Bancroft) befriends a down and out former district attorney "Rolls Royce" Wensel (Clive Brook). However, as he is helped back on his feet, the two begin fighting over the gun moll known as Feathers McCoy (Evelyn Brent).
• The Racket (1928), As Chicago police officer Captain James McQuigg (Thomas Meighan) matches wits with bootlegger Nick Scarsi (Louis Wolheim), their rivalry threatens to uncover the secret mastermind behind "The Organization", the criminal syndicate running Chicago.
• The Public Enemy (1931), Played by James Cagney in his film debut, Tom Powers is a Prohibition bootlegger whose older brother Michael (Donald Cook) attempts to reform the gangster while he fights his way to the top of the underworld.
• Scarface (1932), Tony Camonte (a fictional version of Al Capone) fights several Irish gangs in Chicago. One of the gang leaders is played by Boris Karloff.
• Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), After former mob boss Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) returns to New York's Hell's Kitchen, former childhood friend, Father Jerry Connolly (Pat O'Brien) tries to save him from himself.
• On the Waterfront (1954), After witnessing the murder of a fellow longshoreman, Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) must choose sides between his brother Charlie (Rod Steiger) and mobbed up union boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) against crusading priest Father Barry (Karl Malden) and Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint).
• St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), Director Roger Corman's retelling of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre stars Jason Robards as Al Capone, Ralph Meeker as Bugs Moran, and an appearance by George Segal and Jack Nicholson.
• The Sting (1973), Con artists Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) and Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) attempt to swindle Irish mob boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw).
• The Long Good Friday (1980), The main character, a boss in the British criminal underworld, runs afoul with the Irish Mob and the Irish Republican Army.
• Miller's Crossing (1990), Irish gangster Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) tries to prevent a gang war between Irish boss Leo O'Bannion (Albert Finney) and Johnny Casper (Jon Polito) co-starring John Turturro as Bernie Bernbaum and Marcia Gay Harden as Verna Bernbaum.
• State of Grace (1990), Undercover officer Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) returns to Hell's Kitchen to infiltrate The Westies which include childhood friend Jackie Flannery (Gary Oldman) and neighborhood mob boss Frankie Flannery (Ed Harris).
• Last Man Standing (1996), Wandering gunman John Smith (Bruce Willis) becomes involved in a gang war between Irish gangster Doyle (David Patrick Kelly) and Italian mobster Fredo Strozzi (Ned Eisenberg) in the small town of Jericho, Texas.
• Monument Ave. (1998), In Charlestown, Massachusetts, a charismatic mob enforcer (Denis Leary) must decide whether to abide by the neighborhood code of silence when his boss (Colm Meaney) begins murdering members of his family.
• Southie (1998).
• Hardball (2001), Keanu Reeves plays a man in-debt to violent Irish-American bookies in a Chicago enclave.
• Gangs of New York (2002) Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis, this movie showcases the criminal underworld of the Five Points neighborhood in Manhattan, in the 1860s.
• Ash Wednesday (2002), Edward Burns wrote, directed, and starred in movie about Irish gangsters in New York City's Hell's Kitchen.
• Road to Perdition (2002), Based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins, Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) finds himself on the run from former boss John Rooney (Paul Newman), loosely based on Irish gangster John Patrick Looney, after his son witnesses a gangland slaying.
• Death to Smoochy (2002), The Irish mob is painted as being in control of a children's TV network and eventually builds an alliance with a formerly idealistic performer (Edward Norton).
• Dirty Deeds (2002), Set in 1969, Irish-Australian gangsters, led by Barry Ryan, run the slot machines in Sydney, Australia. They find themselves pitted against rival Sydney gangsters and even the U.S. Cosa Nostra who all want control of the underworld gambling rings.
• Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), One of the main villains is affiliated with the Irish mob.
• A History of Violence (2005), Film featuring gang members from Philadelphia.
• The Departed (2006), Film about two moles, one a cop in Boston's Irish Mob, the other a mobster in the Massachusetts State Police.
• Dead I Well May Be (2007), Set in 1990s New York City, an Irish immigrant lands a job as a mob enforcer.
• Emerald City (2008), Film about Irish gangs in Hell's Kitchen directed by Jim Sheridan.

Television

• Brotherhood (2006), Set in Providence, Rhode Island, and revolving around the unlikely alliance between two Irish-American brothers. Michael Caffee, played by Jason Isaacs, is an aspiring mob boss and Tommy Cafee is one of the state's most powerful politicians. It has developed a cult following, and Showtime has renewed it for another 10 episode season to begin in 2007.
• The Black Donnellys (2007), a canceled crime drama on NBC that follows four young Irish brothers in New York’s Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and their involvement in organized crime.
• Paddy Whacked: The Irish Mob (2006), a documentary tracing the rise and fall of the Irish mob, including an alleged involvement with the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
• Underbelly (2008), Australian drama series based on the Melbourne gangland killings. It stars Gerard Kennedy as Graham Kinniburgh and Kevin Harrington as Lewis Moran.

Bibliography

• Carr, Howie. The Brothers Bulger.
• Downey, Patrick. Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld, 1900-1935. Barricade Books, 2004. ISBN 1-56980-267-X
• Durney, James. The Mob: The History of Irish Gangsters in America.
• English, T. J. The Westies.
• English, T. J. Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 0-06-059002-5
• Flemmi, Joe. The General.
• Jacobs, James B., Coleen Friel and Robert Radick. Gotham Unbound: How New York City Was Liberated from the Grip of Organized Crime. New York: NYU Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8147-4247-5
• Lehr, Dick and O'Neill, Gerard. Black Mass.
• Porrello, Rick. To Kill the Irishman: The War that Crippled the Mafia. Novelty, Ohio: Next Hat Press, 2004. ISBN 0-9662508-9-3
• Hornblum, Allen. Confessions of a Second Story Man: Junior Kripplebauer and the K&A Gang.
• McCain, Joe. Legends of Winter Hill (2005).
• MacDonald, Michael Patrick. All Souls.
• McKenzie, Edward "Eddie Mac". Street Soldier.
• Shea, John "Red". Rat Bastards.
• Weeks, Kevin. Brutal: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob.

See also

• List of Irish-American mobsters

External links

• American Organized Crime - Irish Gangsters