Irish mob

The Irish mob (also known as the Irish mafia, Irish-American mafia or Irish-American organised crime) is a collection of organised crime groups composed of largely ethnic Irish members which operate primarily in the United States and have existed since the early 19th century. Originating in Irish-American street gangs – famously first depicted in Herbert Asbury's 1927 book, The Gangs of New York – the Irish Mob has appeared in most major American and Canadian cities, especially in the Northeast and the urban industrial Midwest, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Chicago.

United States

New York

Pre-prohibition

Irish-American street gangs, such as the Dead Rabbits (led by future Congressman John Morrissey) and Whyos, dominated New York's underworld for well over a century. Beginning in the 1880s and 1890s, however, they faced competition from gangs consisting of recently arrived Italians and Jews. The Five Points Gang (led by Paul Kelly) would rise to prominence during the early 1900s, strongly rivalled by the Hudson Dusters, the Gopher Gang, and others during the period.

In the early 1900s, with Italian criminal organisations such as the Morello crime family encroaching on the waterfront, various Irish gangs united to form the White Hand Gang. Although initially successful in keeping their Black Hand Italian rivals at bay, unstable leadership and infighting would lead to their eventual downfall. The murders of Dinny Meehan, Bill Lovett, and Richard Lonergan led to the gang's disappearance by 1925. The waterfront was then taken over by Italian mobsters Vincent Mangano, Albert Anastasia, and Joe Adonis. The Irish mob would re-emerge in USA's coal country and remain strong.