Irish Mob
The Irish Mob (also known as the Irish mafia or Irish organized crime) is a usually crime family-based ethnic collective of organized crime syndicates composed of primarily ethnic Irish members which operate primarily in Ireland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, and have been in existence 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 U.S. and Canadian cities, especially in the Northeast and the urban industrial, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Chicago.
| Founded | Early 19th century |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Ireland and the United States |
| Years active | Early 19th century – present |
| Territory | Ireland, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia |
| Ethnicity | Primarily Irish people and Irish Catholics, including Irish-Americans |
| Criminal activities | Assault, murder, bribery, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, extortion, fencing, fraud, illegal gambling, loan sharking, money laundering, prostitution, racketeering, robbery, smuggling, theft, arms trafficking |
| Allies | Italian Mafia, certain Italian-American Mafia families and factions, Moroccan mafia, Aryan Brotherhood (in California), certain groups of Russian mafia, Irish republican paramilitary groups (in the recent past) and certain dissident Irish republican paramilitary groups (currently) |
| Rivals | Italian-American Mafia (historically and depending on certain factions), certain groups historically of Russian organized crime (in North America), Aryan Brotherhood (in Oklahoma) |
Organized crime for Irish people also exists in Ireland, predominantly Dublin and Limerick, but only became of any significance in recent decades. These groups are not always the same people as the American Irish Mob families and most often consist of families focusing on the drug trade.