Stories
Early Characters
The Molly Maguires & The Pennsylvania Miners Strike
The Molly Maguires were portrayed in a movie in the 1970's starring Sean Connery & Richard Harris, the story was based on true events, the Pennsylvanian Miners Strikes of the 1860's & 70's, they also featured in a song by the Irish folk band, The Dubliners....
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...
The Happy Hooligan, Knock Out Drops & Shanghaing
During the 1800's and early 1900's there was a practice that was used among some bartenders and saloon keepers, who were criminals themselves would spike drinks with knock-out drops or powders for the purpose of robbing a victim. In Fort Wayne, Indiana was a bartender...
Faction Fighting in New Orleans
Irish society in the 18th century saw a rise in violence known as faction fighting. Faction fighting was a type of recreational violence that was semi-organized pitched battles occurring usually at fairs and religious celebrations. Faction fights had its own set of...
“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 Manhattan Savings Institution Bank Robbery 1878
The Manhattan Savings Institution Bank Robbery. On October 27, 1878 The manager of the Manhattan Savings Institution found the vault empty and nearly $3 million in currency and securities was missing. In real dollars it remains the largest bank robbery in history. The...
Baltimore’s Plug Uglies, Rip Rap’s & Election Violence
During the 1850s, political clubs with names like the Plug Uglies, Rip Raps, American Rattlers, and Blood Tubs formed in Baltimore, Maryland which earned it the nickname Mobtown largely due to the intimidation, riots, and murder. This was mainly due to Irish &...
Thomas F. Byrnes – Head of the NYPD Detective Unit
Thomas F. Byrnes was an Irish-born NYPD officer, who served as head of the New York City Police Department detective department from 1880 until 1895. Byrnes gained national attention for his exploits and some credit him with the technique "The Third Degree" Born...
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...