flawless his comment is here. The Irish Mob | Gangsters | Gunmen | Murder | Mayhem | Riots - The Irish Mob

The Irish Mob is a website dedicated to archiving 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.

What is Charles “Lucky” Luciano doing with three Irish gangsters in the photograph above?

In 1926 the Diamond Brothers Gang as they were known, were all brought in for questioning in relation to a Felonious Assault, in connection with was the attempted robbery of Charles Haffman & Albert Levy.

The police line up was Eddie Diamond, Jack “Legs” Diamond, Thomas “Fatty” Walsh & Charles “Lucky” Luciano.

Out Now

The Murder of Dean O’Banion

Dean O’Banion, a notorious figure in Chicago’s organized crime during Prohibition, met a tragic end in 1924. Born in Illinois in 1892, he later moved to Chicago’s North Side, a tough and violent neighborhood known as “Little Hell.” O’Banion’s early life was marked by crime as he joined street gangs specializing in theft and robbery.

With Prohibition in the 1920s, O’Banion made connections for the delivery of alcohol from Canada. His gang began liquor hijacking, eliminating competition and dominating the North Side and Gold Coast territories.

Tensions escalated as rival gangs encroached on O’Banion’s territory. 

O’Banion’s murder triggered a brutal gang war in Chicago between North and South Sides, lasting until the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929.

“Dapper Dan” McCarthy – Union Racketeer

“Dapper Dan” McCarthy was one of Dean O’Banions North Side gangsters, along with other such notorious names as Hymie Weiss, “Schemer” Drucci, “Bugs” Moran, “Nails” Morton & Louis “Two Gun” Altierre. Sometimes known as Handsome Dan McCarthy, “Dapper Dan” was mainly...

Dean O’Banion The North Side Gangster

Dean O’Banion was born in Maroa, Illinois in 1892, where he spent his early childhood before moving to Chicago in 1901 with his father, brother, and sister. O’Banion’s mother, Emma Brophy, who was first generation Irish her parents were from Ireland, died of the...

Watch The Murder of Dean O’Banion Trailer

A deep dive into the murder of Dean O’Banion, what happened, the suspects, his killers, friends and members of the North Side Gang

Watch Now

Murder on the Brooklyn Docks

Murder on the Brooklyn Docks is a series about Brooklyns White Hand Gang, an Irish Mob, who were in fact a collection of smaller gangs under one umbrella, the main factions being the Warren Street Red Onion Gang and the Jay Street Gang, who fought among themselves for control of the rackets and docks.

Watch the video series here.

Become A Supporter

If you like what we do and would like to support our work, please consider donating.

What Is The Irish Mob?

The Irish mob has had a significant influence on America’s crime world, originating in the early 1800s and spanning across much of the country. One of its first incarnations started as street gangs in New York City, as depicted in 1928 book “The Gangs of New York,” by Herbert Asbury.

The Latest Stories

“Dapper Dan” McCarthy – Union Racketeer

“Dapper Dan” McCarthy – Union Racketeer

“Dapper Dan” McCarthy was one of Dean O’Banions North Side gangsters, along with other such notorious names as Hymie Weiss, “Schemer” Drucci, “Bugs” Moran, “Nails” Morton & Louis “Two Gun” Altierre. Sometimes known as Handsome Dan McCarthy, “Dapper Dan” was mainly...

read more
Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly was a member of the Westies who joined the gang in the late 1970's. He worked his way up through the ranks of the gang, starting off as an enforcer and debt collector. He would be used by the older members as muscle to collect their loans. In one instance...

read more
The Fall of “Wild” Bill Lovett

The Fall of “Wild” Bill Lovett

After Bill Lovett had begun to clean house, taking out or removing the previous White Hand Gang leader's loyalists through a series of murders, shootings and stabbings. But none of it went opposed, Dinny Meehan the previous leader and Garry Barry still had friends...

read more

Become A Supporter

If you like what we do and would like to support our work, please consider donating.

Featured Stories

George C. Parker – The Man Who Sold Brooklyn Bridge

George C. Parker also known as James J. O'Brien, Warden Kennedy, was a con artist born in New York to Irish immigrant parents in 1860, Parker would become best known for selling property he didnt own, notably the Brooklyn Bridge and many other national landmarks,...

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...

Dandy Johnny Dolan – More Than a Comic Book Character

Dandy Johnny Dolan was the subject of a Simon & Kirby comic book in the 1940's, based on the life and crimes of the real John Dolan, who was born in 1849 in Lower Manhattan, he became the leader of one of the most notorious gangs in the mid to late 1800's, The...

The Tweed Ring

The Tweed Ring was a small group of people lead by William Marcy "Boss" Tweed who briefly ruled the Gilded Age of New York, through Tammany Hall until the 1870's. The Tweed Ring controlled New York City using fraud, bribery, and kickbacks to pocket massive amounts of...

Corcoran’s Roost

Corcorans Roost was a neighborhood the East Side of Manhattan, today its known as Tudor City. Named after James "Paddy" Corcoran a plaque hangs on the spot where Corcorans Roost stood. James Corcoran was was born in Ireland in 1819 in...

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.

 

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...

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...

Prohibition in New Jersey

The controversy over the nation’s Prohibition Amendment spilled over into New Jersey politics. Republicans, whose base was in the more rural parts of the State, supported Prohibition; Democrats whose strength was in the big cities were opposed to Prohibition.   The...

The Gustin Gang

At the turn of the 20th-century criminal gangs sprouted up in the Boston Irish wards, the Gustin gang was first to dominate and control the scene. The name of the gang came not from any of the members, but from the name of a street off Old Colony Avenue in South...

Waxey Gordon

Irving Wexler better known as Waxey Gordon was born to Polish - Jewish Immigrants in 1888, he grew up to become an infamous Prohibition Era gangster who specialized in bootlegging, illegal gambling and in later years, narcotics. He grew up in New York's Lower East...

The Coll Schultz War Part 1

During the 1930's a gang war broke out between two former associates Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll & Dutch Schultz which would leave a trail of bodies and resulting in the death of "Mad Dog" Coll. The Coll brothers Peter and the younger Vincent worked as gunmen and...

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...

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...

Easy Money for Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll

With the police, media and his enemies all looking for him, Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll had been hiding in Upstate New York, around Albany with rumors that he was working on an alliance with none other than Jack "Legs" Diamond, who himself had run into legal difficulties...

Charles Vannie Higgins – His Life and Crimes

Charles Vannie Higgins was born in 1897 and is generally regarded as the last Irish Boss of Brooklyn, he was born in the Bay Ridge area in Brooklyn. He built up a successful bootlegging operation but he was never really considered a big time mobster, he has almost...

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.

 

The Ballymount Bloodbath

The Ballymount Bloodbath is an incident that happened between two groups in a warehouse in Dublin on the 6th October 1999 and would lead to a series of tit for tat revenge killings between the groups. The Ballymount Bloodbath was a day when six men were kidnapped,...

River Pirates on the Hudson & East Rivers

From 1866 to 1877 river pirates terrorized the water of New York's rivers and harbor robbing cargo and what ever other goods they could from boats that were docked or coming in to port. Piracy in the waters of New York became so bad that the police eventually set up a...

The Roger Wheeler Hit

Roger Wheeler was a businessman, the former chairman of Telex Corp. and former owner of World Jai Alai. He was murdered at age 55 in his car in the car park of Southern Hills country club in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1981. John Martorano, Stevie Flemmi & Whitey Bulger...

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...

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...

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 meant for educational purposes only.

While great care and pain staking effort goes into each one of the stories on this website, all of the information on this website is as accurate and reliable as the sources it came from and not meant to be presented as undeniable facts, as information can change from time to time when new research techniques being developed

This website can be seen as 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.

About the Author

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’m a creative person with an interest in web design, 3D art & digital media. I am an Adobe Certified Associate in Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash & Dreamweaver. I was also a lecturer in Web Design in two colleges and adult education centre’s. 

I was always interested in stories about the Mafia and watching movies like Goodfella’s, Casino etc and eventually found myself learning about the Irish Mob, Whitey Bulger in particular, and from there I started to learn about the other characters and writing about them, you can read about them throughout this website!

Become A Supporter

If you like what we do and would like to support our work, please consider donating. Liking, Sharing and Commenting on our social media is always the best way to show support

  • Klondike O'Donnell
    William O'Donnell better known as...
  • A Grizzly Murder in The Hauge
    With temperatures hitting the high...
  • Fr. John Corridan
    Father John Corridan, was a...
  • The Bowers Mob
    Mickey & Harold Bowers -...
  • Mayor Jimmy Walker
    Mayor Jimmy Walker, Mayor of...
  • Big Tim Murphy
    Timothy "Big Tim" Murphy. Big...
  • South Side Inn / Roberts Lounge
    The South Side Inn 114...
  • Frankie Yale
    Francesco Ioele / Uale, best...
  • Texas Guinan - Queen of the nightclubs.
    While she wasnt the classic...
  • Hugh "Stubby" McGovern
    Hugh "Stubby" McGovern was a...
  • Atlantic City Conference
    The Atlantic City Conference held...
  • Weapons - The Awl
    Ye Olde Weapons - The...
  • Martin Cahill & the golf course
    At the height of the...
  • A Rare Photo of Egan's Rats Leaders
    Standing in Thomas "Snake" Kinney's...
  • The Finer Things in Life
    Being a bootlegger Terry "Machine...
  • John "Mitters" Foley
    John "Mitters" Foley was a...
  • William "Dinty" Colbeck.
    After the death of Thomas...
  • Lucky Luciano goes for a ride
    In the aftermath of the...
  • Terry "Machine Gun" Druggan
    Terry Druggan was a Chicago...
  • Tom Hyer
    Tom Hyer was an American...
  • Francis "Two Gun" Crowley
    Francis "Two Gun" Crowley brought...
  • "Mossy" Enright
    Maurice "Mossy" Enright was a...
  • Jeanne McCarthy
    Jeanne McCarthy / Popke was...
  • Big Tim Sullivan
    Timothy D. Sullivan, known as...
  • Michael Cassius McDonald "King Mike"
    "King Mike" McDonald was Chicago's...
  • "Wild Bill" Lovett
    Born in Lixnaw, County Kerry...
  • Schofields Flower Shop
    Crowds gather outside of Schofields...
  • Tommy "The Rock" Hayes
    Tommy "The Rock" Hayes was...
  • Jack "Eat Em Up" McManus
    Jack "Eat Em Up" McManus...
  • Dean O'Banion's Killers
    On the 10th of November...
  • Capone's Board of Director's
    On the 1st of November...
  • The Miller Brothers
    In the aftermath of Dean...
  • Danny Stanton
    Daniel "Danny" Stanton was a...
  • Michael "Bubs" Quinlan
    Michael "Bubs" Quinlan was co...
  • Claude "Screwy" Maddox
    Claude "Screwy" Maddox, real name...
  • Frank McErlane's hospital shootout
    As Frank McErlane lay in...
  • Tom and Helen Baxter from Long Island
    In Grand Isle, a small...
  • Jimmy Coonan Recent Photo
    Here is one of the...
  • "Spike" O'Donnell
    “Spike” O’Donnell was one of...
  • Tanner Smith
    Thomas "Tanner" Smith was leader...
  • Dutch Schultz
    Arthur Flegenheimer or the Dutchman...
  • John Morrissey meets Bill the Butcher
    He wasn't really a mobster...
  • Primo Carnera
    Primo Carnera (right) & Max...
  • Lottie Coll
    The wife of Vincent "Mad...
  • Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll
    Salvatore Maranzano, who having won...
  • Dead Man's Tree
    725 Loomis Street, Chicago. Dead...
  • Angelo Genna
    Also brought in for questioning...
  • The One Way Ride
    The One Way Ride (Frank...
  • Eddie Tancl
    Eddie Tancl was a former...
  • Ragen's Colts
    Ragen's Colts were an early...
  • The Blackjack
    Ye Olde Weapons - The...
  • Farmer Sullivan gets whacked at dinner
    In the early days, before...
  • Michael Dowd
    The 75th Precinct or the...
  • Klondike O Donnell - William White - Murray Humphreys - Charles Fischitti
    (left to right): William "Klondike"...
  • Louis "Two Gun" Alterie
    Leland A. Varain was born...
  • Irish Confetti
    Irish Confetti is a slang...
  • Young Mickey Spillane
    A young Mickey Spillane, lying...
  • 1800's Fashion
    The fashion styles from different...
  • Jackie Coonan
    Jackie Coonan was the younger...
  • Dapper Danny Hogan
    "Dapper" Danny Hogan - The...
  • John "Dingbat" O'Berta
    John "Dingbat" O'Berta. The name...
  • Weapons - The Slungshot
    The slungshot was originally a...
  • An Unusual Line-Up
    From Left to Right -...
  • Frank McDarby
    One of the original members...
  • Mad Dog Coll Wanted
    The New York Daily News...
  • William "Gunner" McPadden
    A Chicago Beer Wars Hit The...
  • "Bathhouse" John Coughlin & Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna
    Michael “Hinky Dink” Kenna (left)...
  • Brass Knuckles
    Ye Olde Weapons - Brass...
  • "Peg Leg" Lonergan
    Richard "Peg Leg" Lonergan, was...
  • "Whitey" Bulger - Prisoner
    30th October was the day...
  • "Black" Charlie Harris
    He was described as handsome...
  • John "Cockeye" Dunn
    John "Cockeye" Dunn was a...
  • Lieutenant Charles Becker
    Lieutenant Charles Becker was said...
  • Helen Walsh
    A 16 year old Helen...
  • Dock Workers Shaping Up
    Nearly every morning dock workers...
  • The Murder of Mossy Enright
    L-R: Judge John Sbarbaro, ”Big...
  • Thomas E. Maloy
    Thomas Edward Maloy was born...
  • Mae West
    Mae West, a glamorous and...
  • Barney Baker & Jimmy Hoffa
    Jimmy Hoffa and his bodyguard...
  • Richie Ryan of the Westies
    Richie Ryan
    Quite a rare...
  • An Unusual Police Line-Up
    From Left to Right –...
  • George Remus - The King of the Bootleggers.
    George Remus was mainly active...
  • Brian Rattigan
    Brian Rattigan was the leader...
  • Cadillac Frank
    Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme was...
  • John Torrio
    One of the prime suspects,...
  • Owney "The Killer" Madden...On This Day
    On this day 24th April...
  • Walter O'Donnell
    Walter O'Donnell was the younger...
  • Martin Brennan - First leader of the Gopher Gang
    Michael Martin Brennan, also known...
  • King Mike McDonald
    King Mike or Michael Cassius...
  • dapper dan mccarthy
    "Dapper" Dan McCarthy
    Dapper Dan McCarthy - Chicago...
  • South Boston Liquor Mart
    South Boston Liquor Mart. A...
  • Thomas "Buff" Higgins
    Thomas “Buff” Higgins was a...
  • Last photo's of James "Whitey" Bulger
    The last known photo's of...
  • "Dynamite" Joe Brooks & Ed Harmening
    A Chicago gangland hit -...
  • George Raft saves James Cagney
    George Raft pictured James Cagney was...
  • Green Lantern Saloon
    The Green Lantern Saloon in...
  • Dominic "Little Libby" Nuccio
    Another suspect brought in for...
  • The Crucifixion
    After the robbery of O'Connor's...
  • George "Red" Barker
    George "Red" Barker was a...
  • Eamonn Kelly
    Eamonn Kelly cut his teeth...

Become A Supporter

If you like what we do and would like to support our work, please consider donating.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This
Skip to content