Podcast: Irish Wise guys with John Joe McGinley

A 1930s gang murder in New York — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

John Dorney speaks to author John Joe McGinely about the Irish American ‘mob’ or organised crime from the 19th century to the present.

We speak about: the early gangs from the influx of Irish immigration after the Great Famine.

The Prohibition era when many Irish gangsters made fortunes and also their conflict with Italian crime organisations.

Famous Irish American criminals such as Vincent ‘Mad Dog’ Coll and Owney Madden.

The relationship of the ‘Irish mob’ with the broader Irish American community.

Later Irish gangs such as the ‘Westies’.

The demise of organised crime in the era of the RICO Act.

3 Responses to "Podcast: Irish Wise guys with John Joe McGinley"

Ray says:

15 February, 2022 at 1:39 pm

The podcast was enjoyable. Well done with the book John Joe and I look forward to reading it. Sometimes I think the relationship with the wider American community is written out of context.
Stories of Irish American gangs and criminals have been written as if the Irish gangs remained exclusively Irish and in opposition to other groups (Italians). There is a good bit of urban mythology built up around this.
Gangs remained close nit in the early years, and the White hand (in opposition to the Black Hand) Gang most definitely. Though it was about money ultimately and most of the Irish criminals who prospered done so because of their connections with the mafia. Those who did not mostly died. The Westies operated within the structure of the mafia. Hence it is not the rule.

Most of the gangs were of mixed ethnicity. Do not quote me on this but Legs Diamond (John Nolan) was, as a boy, a member of a gang mostly Jewish, and Coll’s gang was after Schultz mostly Italian except his brother. The North Side Irish Mob being a good example- it was Irish low level (O’ Bannion was Irish, but not Irish born) Bugs Moran was not Irish, Hymie a Polish Catholic and Drucci and Frankie Foster Italians. There was perhaps more Irish allied with or directly employed by Capone, Claud Maddox (John May) being but one example.

There is no evidence either that O’Bannion said ‘’to hell with them Sicilians ‘‘He may even have spoken some Italian. Capone and Torrio had in fact married Irish girls. Furthermore, the only Irishman to die on valentine’s day was the mechanic. The amazing thing about the Irish is, besides upward mobility -how long they stayed within the criminal world.

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1. John joe McGinley says:
  
  16 February, 2022 at 9:49 am
  
  Thanks for that Ray. I totally agree about the homogenous make up of the Irish Mob which was very inclusive of both membership and leadership. Great point about those who didn’t cooperate with the Italian mob!
  
  Reply
Ray says:

17 February, 2022 at 12:38 pm

Thanks John Joe, I really enjoyed the podcast and how it showed the way Irish Gangs incorporated others. The Gophers being a good example. This was sometimes that needed to be said -and missing in lot of books frankly. I find that surnames are not a great indicator of ethnicity too. The tough Jew of New York Monk Eastman was of Anglo-Saxon origins and Chicago’s Polack (meaning Polish) Joe Saltis was in fact a Hungarian. Thanks for the reply and good luck with the book.

Ray

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John Dorney speaks to author John Joe McGinely about the Irish American ‘mob’ or organised crime from the 19th century to the present.

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