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

The Fall of “Wild” Bill Lovett

by Owen Forsyth

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...

“Wild” Bill cleans house

by Owen Forsyth

With Dinny Meehan out of the way, "Wild" Bill Lovett assumed control of the White Hand Gang. Although there was no evidence to link Lovett to Meehan's murder, it didn't stop the talk around the docks, with the dock loaders and stevedores speculating as to who Meehan's...

“Wild” Bill Lovett Takes Over

by Owen Forsyth

Becoming the boss of Brooklyn's White Hand Gang was something that many wanted, none more so than "Wild" Bill Lovett. The current leader Dinny Meehan suspected that Lovett was going to become an issue that would have to be dealt with sooner or later. Unfortunately for...

The Hudson Dusters

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...

“Wild” Jimmy Haggerty & The Schuylkill Rangers

“Wild Jimmy” Haggerty was a criminal in Philadelphia and later in New York City during the mid 19th century. Jimmy Haggerty was the leader of the Schuylkill Rangers, a street gang which terrorized the South Philadelphia waterfront for over 25 years. The notorious...

The Gopher Gang of Hell’s Kitchen

The Gopher Gang were one of Hell’s Kitchen’s most brutal gangs. They were given the name "Gophers" because they used to hide in the cellars of buildings in the neighbourhood. The Gophers formed in the 1890s and went on to rule the West Side between Ninth and Eleventh...

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...

Theodore Allen – The Allen

Theodore Allen, or known as The Allen, was an American gambler, political organizer, saloon keeper and head of a criminal family in New York City during the mid-to late 19th century. Born in Syracuse in New York to well to do & deeply religious parents in 1823, he...

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.

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...

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...

When They Tried To Whack Eddie Diamond

Legs Diamond had one soft spot in life, his brother Eddie. He would have sacrificed everything he owned to bring him back to health. Tuberculosis had ravaged Eddie as well as other members of his family. Eddie had been sent to various sanatorium to try get cured but...

The failed hot on Eddie Diamond

Sometime in 1927, Eddie Diamond was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, by the following year Eddie packed up his family, his wife Kitty and young son John and moved out west to Denver. Eddie also took with him, one of Jacks torpedos, Dominick Bifano. Meanwhile...

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...

Coll ambushes Carmine Borelli

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...

“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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

Lucky Luciano & The Rothstein Questioning

November 19, 1928, just thirteen days after Arnold Rothstein’s murder, “Charlie Lucky” Lucania aka Charles Luciano was arrested along with George Uffner, a narcotic associate of Charlie and Rothstein, and Thomas “Fatty” Walsh. They were accused of a payroll robbery of...

Patrick “Pat” Nee

A Boston tough guy & member in the Mullen gang. He was a one time enemy of Whitey Bulger, they had both tried to kill each other a few times during the Boston Gang Wars in the 1960's He had emigrated from Connemara, Galway, Ireland when he was young with his...

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...

Coll ambushes Carmine Borelli

Thomas Snake Kinney

Thomas Snake Kinney was a Missouri state senator, he was one of the founding members of the infamous Egan's Rats, a St. Louis organized crime gang in the early part of the 20th Century. Thomas Snake Kinney was born and raised in St. Louis's "Kerry Patch" neighborhood...

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.