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...

“Old Smoke” John Morrissey

"Old Smoke" John Morrissey was born in Templemore, County Tipperary, Ireland in 1831. Around 1833 his parents emigrated to the U.S and settled somewhere near Troy, New York. In 1848 Morrissey moved to New York City and married the daughter of a ship's captain, Sarah...

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...

Jacob Riis – Photographed The Gangs of New York

Jacob Riis was born in Denmark in 1849 and emigrated to the US in the 1870's, he was a pioneer in photography, a social reformer and journalist. He pioneered his use of photography and journalism to bring social changes in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where...

The Rivington Street Shoot Out

In 1903 rival members of Paul Kelly's Five Point gang & Monk Eastman's gang squared off under the platform of the Second Avenue train line. The long and bloody gunfight was possibly the largest of its kind. Kelly and Eastman clashed for years over control of the...

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...

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 Death of Edward Fats McCarthy Popke

Fats McCarthy was one Vincent "Mad Dog" Colls trusted associate's and most trusted trigger man, and had once been one of Dutch Schultz's men but left Schultz operation when Coll parted ways with Schultz. McCarthy, who's real name was Edward Popke, was with Vincent...

“Dapper” Danny Hogan

Danny Hogan was a gangster and boss of Saint Paul, Minnesota's Irish Mob during Prohibition. Originally born in California, he settled in Saint Paul around 1909. He turned to organizing major crimes in the city. He became so closely connected to Saint Paul's political...

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...

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...

Mad Dog Coll’s Final Phone Call

February 8, 1932, Vincent Coll and his unidentified bodyguard took a short stroll from the Cornish Arms, where Coll was staying to the London Chemist drugstore, both on West 23rd Street, with the two men wanting to make phone calls. Coll walked into one of the booths...

Mad Dog Coll v Borrelli

February 12, 1930, the Schultz-Coll war began with the shooting of Carmine Borelli, one of Dutch Schultz’s top lieutenants, and Mayme Layton aka Mary Smith, on Inwood Ave, the Bronx. Apparently Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll believed Borelli knew of Coll’s war plans against...

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...

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...

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...

Coll ambushes Carmine Borelli

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.

Spike O’Donnell – The Southside O’Donnells

James Edward O’Donnell or better known as “Spike” O’Donnell he was born on November 29,1889, O’Donnell was one of the few gangsters from the Capone era to retire from the rackets, pioneer the Chicago paving of streets, maintain his political clout and die of natural...

Boss Tweed – The Most Corrupt Politician of his Time

Boss Tweed or William Magear Tweed was legendary for his total corruption & his enormous financial takings throughout his political career in the mid 1800's and in all honesty could probably put the politicians of today to shame. Some estimates say in today's...

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,...

Monk Eastman From Public Enemy to National Hero

Edward "Monk" Eastman (1875 – 1920) was a New York gangster and founder of the Eastman Gang, which became one of the most powerful street gangs in New York City. Of course Monk Eastman wasn't Irish, he did live in a time when the Irish, Jews and Italians worked and...

Easy Money for Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll

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.