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...

Billy Porter and the Dutch Mob

Billy Porter was a long time member of the Dutch Mob along with Johnny Irving, Little Freddie and Sheeny Mike Kurtz who were the founding members of the Dutch Mob. Billy Porter was born in Boston in 1850 under his real name William O’Brien, he had trained to become a...

The Failed Assassination of Paul Kelly

Biff Ellison was one of Paul Kelly's gang members in the Five Points gang, he started out as a bouncer in Fat Flynn's dive bar on Bond Street. He later became a bouncer of a bar on Christie street where he made his name by knocking a police officer unconscious with a...

Humpty Jackson – The Hunchback of the Gas House District

Thomas "Humpty" Jackson born in 1879 and died in 1951, he was a New York criminal and last of the independent gang leaders in New York's underworld during the early 20th century. He was, however, known to be a violent man who regularly carried three revolvers,...

Dennis “Dinny” Meehan – The Leader of the White Hand Gang

Dennis "Dinny" Meehan became leader of the White Hand Gang around 1910 and led the gang up until his death in 1920 when he was murdered, as is the occupational hazard when you choose that way of life. He was born in Brooklyn in 1889 and ran with the Warren Street Red...

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...

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.

Legs Diamond & The Hotsy Totsy Club

After a shooting in Legs Diamond and his partner Charlie Entratta's speakeasy bar, The Hotsy Totsy Club at 1721 Broadway, between 54 & 55th Streets in New York City, where 1 died after being shot in the head and another died later in hospital after being shot...

Dutch Schultz gets arrested

After a bloody gang war with Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll and his gang, Arthur Flegenheimer or Dutch Schultz as he is better known was nervous, its said that the only person to have given Schultz the jitters was "Mad Dog" Coll, so much so that Schultz even moved out of his...

Danny Walsh – Bootlegger

Danny Walsh was a mobster from Providence, Rhode Island involved in bootlegging during Prohibition. He was the top underworld figure in southern New England, and last major Irish-American gangster in the region, until his kidnapping and apparent murder in 1933. When...

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...

John Patrick Looney

John Patrick Looney was a gangster in Rock Island, Illinois during the early 20th century. Looney served as the model for John Looney, a character in Max Allan Collins' graphic novel Road to Perdition. The character was renamed John Rooney and portrayed by Paul Newman...

Little Augie Orgen’s Fatal Mistake

It’s believed the partnership between Jack “Legs” Diamond and Jacob “Little Augie” Orgen started when Jack cut Little Augie into his narcotic and bootlegging business, for a slice of Little Augie’s Labor Union racket. This deal didn’t sit well with Little Augie’s top...

The Sheltons special delivery for Charlie Bergir

The Sheltons were once described as Americas bloodiest gang and for good reason, they were locked in a war with their main rival who was once an ally, Charlie Birger. The Agnes & Ben Shelton raised 10 children on a farm near Fairfield, in Wayne County, Illinois....

Owney “The Killer” Madden – Leader of the Gopher Gang

When Madden assumed control of the Gopher Gang in Hell's Kitchen his territory stretched from below 42nd Street and along the lines of the Hudson Duster territory near the Hudson River. The Gophers and the Hudson Dusters were enemies and would frequently engage in...

John Patrick Looney

Legs Diamond & The Hotsy Totsy Club

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.

Mickey Duffy Philadelphia’s Prohibition Era Boss

Michael "Mickey" Duffy also known as John Murphy and George McEwen, was a Polish-American mobster and rival of Maxie "Boo Boo" Hoff during Prohibition. He became one of the most famous and powerful beer bootleggers in Philadelphia. Born William Michael Cusick to...

Mad Dog Coll Arrested

After months on the run and a police manhunt to try and find him, Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll was finally arrested in New York City in October 1931 along with Tuffy Odierno. The police manhunt came after a shooting that would give Coll his title of Mad Dog. In attempt to...

Billy McGlory’s Armory Hall

Billy McGlory opened McGlory's Armory Hall at 158 Hester Street in the late 1870s. It very quickly became a popular underworld hangout, frequented by thieves, pickpockets, and procurers throughout the old Fourth and Sixth Wards for nearly two decades.It was described...

Ragen’s Colts – A Southside Chicago Gang

Ragen's Colts were a street gang which dominated the Chicago underworld during the early twentieth century. Made up of mainly Irish gangsters but there were also Italian, Polish and Jewish gangsters in their ranks. By the late 1920s and early '30s, the gang became...

The Roaring Twenties

The Roaring Twenties. The Prohibition Laws, the Eighteenth Amendment & Volstead Act, had just been passed banning the sale of alcohol across the United States but it was largely ignored in the cities, New York, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis etc.Before Prohibition...

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.