The Irish Mob | Dublin | New York | Chicago

The Irish Mob is a website dedicated to tracking the history of organized crime, gangsters, mobsters, bootleggers, gun moll’s, showgirls and more. The majority of the stories published on this website are about the people, places and things connected to The Irish Mob from the Gangs of New York Era through the Prohibition Era right up to recent times.

So what is Charles “Lucky” Luciano doing with three Irish Hoods? In 1926 they were all brought in for questioning for Felonious Assault. What it was in connection with was an attempted robbery of Charles Haffman & Albert Levy. The Line up was Eddie Diamond, Jack “Legs” Diamond, Thomas “Fatty” Walsh & Charles “Lucky” Luciano.

What Is The Irish Mob?

The Irish Mob is the oldest organized crime group in the United States, in existence since the early 19th century. Originating in Irish American street gangs—depicted in Herbert Asbury’s 1928 book The Gangs of New York—the Irish Mob has appeared in most major U.S. cities, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

Wikipedia

The Latest Stories

Bugging 98 Prince Street

by Owen Forsyth

In the pursuit of bringing down the Mafia in Boston's North End, John Connolly had help from Whitey Bulger & Steve Flemmi who had supplied Connolly with a diagram of where to place the bugs in the office in Angulo's headquarters at 98...

A night with the Whyo’s

by Owen Forsyth

The Whyo's gang were described by journalists as one of the worst to have ever infested the city of New York. Founded in the late 1800's, they ruled the old Five Points neighborhood, the 4th & 6th wards with a reign of terror from 1860 to 1890, their call Why-ooo,...

The Hudson Dusters

by Owen Forsyth

The Hudson Dusters were a street gang that were founded in the late 1890s by “Circular Jack”, “Kid Yorke”, and Francis “Goo Goo" Knox, the gang began operating from an apartment house on Hudson Street. Goo Goo Knox, a former and noted member of the Gopher Gang who...

Yankee Sullivan Prizefighting Champion

Yankee Sullivan real name James Ambrose. he was born in Bandon, Cork in 1811, he was also known as Frank Murray and James Sullivan. Yankee Sullivan was a bare-knuckle boxer and was a prizefighting champion from 1851 to 1853. He was considered to be the inheritor of...

The Child Gangs of New York

The photo is a child gang of orphans that lived in the alleys somewhere around Mulberry Street and was taken in 1888. It was part of an exhibition called How The Other Half Live by Jacob Riis. In early New York child gangs were mainly confined to the Five Points, the...

The First Gang – The Forty Thieves

The Forty Thieves were formed in 1825 and said to be the first known and oldest New York City criminal street gang. At least officially they were the first ones to have an established leadership and to be caught and recorded. The Five Points was a neighborhood in the...

George Appo – An Extraordinary Pickpocket

George Washington Appo was born on the 4th of July 1854 in New Haven, Connecticut to a Chinese father, Quimbo Appo also known in Chinese as Lee Ah Bow and an Irish mother Catherine Fitzpatrick. George Appo died in Manhattan in 1930. George Appo was no ordinary...

Vinegar Hill – Irishtown – Brooklyn New York

In the 1800's and during the Great Famine of Ireland many Irish settled along the banks of the Brooklyn Waterfront, over time there were so many Irish living there it became known as Irishtown. Many found employment in the Navy Yard, on the docks of the waterfront and...

Early Characters

The earliest recorded organised criminal gang in the United States was in 1825. They were based in one of the most notorious slums in the world at the time, The Five Points in New York’s Lower East Side.

Read about some of the craziest characters from the days of the Gangs of New York. People like Bill “The Butcher” Poole & John Morrissey, gangs like The Dead Rabbits, Whyos & Plug Uglies, places like Shang Drapers Dive Bar or Billy McGlory’s Armory Hall.

Prohibition Era

You will read about some of the most Notorious Names in Mob History on this website, Bosses, Hitmen and more. From New York to Chicago to Boston some of the biggest names all in one place.

Diamonds hit on Schultz

October 15, 1928, Arthur Flegenheimer aka Dutch Schultz and his partner Joey Noe (pronounced Noy) we’re drinking in the Swanee Club, a notorious speakeasy on West 125th Street in Harlem. Just as the sun began to rise, Dutch and Joey left the Swanee and headed downtown...

The St. Valentines Day Massacre

On this day, 90 years ago one of the most famous Mob Hits of all time took place, the St. Valentines Day Massacre in Chicago, where seven men were shot to death by rival gangsters. What started with the death of Dean O'Banion in 1924 ended on St. Valentines Day in...

The Coll Schultz War Part 2 – The Death of a Mad Dog

With the months of May and June being the bloodiest part of the gang war between the Schultz and Coll gangs which left a trail of dead bodies in its wake, there would be further violence and one of the most infamous shootings was still to come. On July 28th came the...

Prohibition ends in America on this day

On the 5th of December 1933, the National & Constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages in the U.S comes to an end. Originally brought into law in 1920 and after 13 years the law was finally repealed. The...

The Distinguished Owen Vincent Madden of Hot Springs, Arkansas

Owen Vincent Madden was a quiet an unassuming character in Hot Springs, Arizona, he married the postmasters daughter, Agnes Denby. He was often seen out on the streets tipping his hat to the women. He was always quick to give impressive donations to the Boys Club. He...

William “Big Bill” Dwyer – Bootlegger

William Vincent "Big Bill" Dwyer was born and raised Hell’s Kitchen, although he would avoid the temptations of quick money and the gangster lifestyle. Bill Dwyer was a hard-working young man. He finished school and then went to work for a time as an usher before...

The Fox Lake Massacre

The Fox Lake Massacre was an event when Prohibition Era violence spilled over into Lake County, northeastern Illinois on June 1, 1930. Gangsters from Terry "Machine Gun" Druggan & Frankie Lake's gang were gunned down at Manning's Hotel in Fox Lake. That area of...

George Cassiday – The Bootlegger to Congress

George Cassiday was born in 1892 and fought in the First World War and a founder of the Irish Veterans Association upon his return after the war, he found employment difficult after the war and almost by accident he became a bootlegger, he would also become known as...

Thomas Egan – Co Founder of Egans Rats of St. Louis

Thomas Egan was a St. Louis saloon keeper, politician and gangster involved in bootlegging, illegal gambling, voter intimidation, labor slugging and a whole lot of other criminal activities. The infamous Egan's Rats gang from St. Louis, Missouri was named after him,...

Marion “Kiki” Roberts & Legs Diamond

Marion "Kiki" Roberts, real name Strasmick (Strasmich) was born in Boston in 1909. When she was young her dream was to become a star. She would also become involved with Jack "Legs" Diamond. When Marion was eight years old she came eighth place in a beauty contest in...

Prohibition Era

You will read about some of the most Notorious Names in Mob History on this website, Bosses, Hitmen and more. From New York to Chicago to Boston some of the biggest names all in one place.

Frankie Lake, Terry Druggan and the Valley Gang

Frankie Lake and Terry Druggan were leaders of The Valley Gang from Chicago, the were one of the most successful bootleggers of their time, amassing a fortune from bootlegging and rum-running. Its said they were making so much money that even the lowest gang member...

The Hudson Dusters

Big Tim Sullivan – As corrupt as the rest of Tammany Hall

Big Tim Sullivan was just as corrupt as you would expect from Tammany Hall whose influence back then reached deep into the corners of city government. Big Tim Sullivan along with his brother Paddy "and a truck full of Sullivan cousins" controlled everything, including...

Diamond Jack & His Many Aliases

Diamond Jack had a fascination and love for the Western lifestyle and made his way out to Denver, Colorado to become “a peaceful rancher with persons of culture around me,”. Hank Bosco who was a young boy at the time, would take gum and rides in the passenger seat of...

The White Hand Gang at war with itself

The White Hand Gangs internal feud was a lot greater than any feud they had with the Italian Black Hand Gang, its said the White Hand Gang, who were mostly Irish were named as a play on the the Italian Black Hand Gang who had been dominate around Brooklyn at the time....

Notorious Names

From tough guys like Pat Nee from Boston to Jimmy Coonan, Mickey Featherstone & The Westies gang all the way to the biggest name of them all James “Whitey” Bulger, who was Boss for more than 20 years and went on the run for a further 16.

About This Site

This website is for educational purposes only, all information is as reliable as the sources it came from and not presented as undeniable facts, just a resource for helping readers look into the history of the Irish Mob. All images belong to their respective owners. From time to time there will be graphic content, such as crime scene’s etc.

I am an amateur writer and I research these stories from various sources and try to put together some interesting articles as a hobby. I always did like the stories about the Mafia and eventually found my way into reading and learning about the Irish Mob, Whitey Bulger in particular and from there I started to learn about other characters and writing about them.