Trust me. Due to family affiliations I can say that the "old type" Irish Mob is darn near extinct (but not dead). Reason being? Irish were finally accepted in America as "allright". Partly because Proddy WASPS needed their vote; partly because they were hoping on them to help put down the Degoes and the Black man; and mostly cause the Irish were so darn stuborn that they took over the police, firefighting squad, unions, docks, and other civil divisions they could.

All that aside... if you really are searching hard for Irish Mob.. you can still find what is left of the culture. "Dirty Mick's" "Blood Irish" and "Fenians".

Go to ur nearest AOH Hall and talk to the Senior Citizens. If you are South of the Maxon Dixon Line (Louisville/ Cincinnati), or anywhere West of St. Louis good luck finding a REAL hall let alone any Blood Irish. The further you go from NY NY, the harder the find.

But if you do find them, they will tell you of Union corruptions, political favors, and jobs for cash schemes in their day. If you are lucky, maybe even stories of rumbles with the Masonic lodge in an alley circa 1922 over who gets to run the Union at the local automotive plant.

The Irish mob was sometimes, but not always typically what Hollywood shows it to be: as an alternative to Costra Nostra (IE: Coke vs Pepsi). It was more about Unions, jobs, politics, favors, and beatings. (IE: Sprite vs Whiskey).

Less "pimping and mob hits" and more "cash for favors man, and by the way, can u help us send some gifts to the strikers in Long Kesh for Christmas this year me Braither, or give to Fr. O'bradaigh's Orphanage Fund"

Sorry if this burst ur bubble, but my .02$ and I'm an AOH Fenian damn it. 3rd Generation. Union man from NY. As usual, invited into this deal by me family when I was of the right age.

Why would I even mention any of this? cause 1) I'm sick of Hollywood skipping the facts and portraying us as competing with the Degoes all the darn time for bootlegging gigs. 2) Irish were Union. The names were synonymous, lest we forget.

I just hate to see the truth get "hollywoodized"

Good post.

I think we'd appreceate it if you went and clarified this up a little more.

Care to shed some light on how things worked a bit more?

Sound like you have first hand knowledge, and I'm sure we'd all like to hear more about your day if you'd take the time to speak on it a little more for the rest of us.

SOZE,
See "Jeffy's" post. I would concur on some points but disagree on others.

Yes, this is typical 1930's and many ethnic groups did it. But I know as far as my family and research this form of activity died out and dwindled down after WWII. Jeffy implies it still lives today (however if we are speaking of other countries it may).

People today can't completely "take over" and dominate a certain field or factory via coercion. One entire ethnic group cannot by openly forceable methods do this. It may happen accidentally (Mexican Drywallers, Chinese Laundromats) or even intentionally (Southern Nepotism) but it is rare at least in the USA due to many factors: Unions are weak, Anti-discrimination hiring practices... basically people would notice, be upset, and act quickly.

This begs the rhetorical question "What did they have and how did they do it?" IE: Their Costra Nostra. And I would argue, more importantly "Why did they do it?" This also may shed some light on Soze's follow-up questions to my post.

Why: They did it because they felt they had to. Many people would not hire the Irish. You probably have heard the saying "No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs". they felt isolated, snubbed, left out and helpless: maybe even their form of ‘retributions’.

When: Pre WWII

How: they would infiltrate an area, and dominate the job picking, scheduling, days off, etc. In return for amnesty from investigations, or prosecutions, they stuffed ballot boxes, canvassed neighborhoods for votes, and somewhat roughed up their favorite "political son's" competition. Sometimes organized through the Unions, othertimes not. Anyone who didn't like it ended up scared, hurt, or dead.

Where: mostly NE - Midwest of USA. NY to Saint Louis. Detroit to Louisville thing. Not so widespread outside of that ; the greatest concentration in the NewEngland area.

You asked to "shed some light". Look up dirty Irish politicians, Unions, and old AOH information. Read, read, read. Some say the Kennedy's took advantage of the Irish-Democratic-Catholic machine to gain power. AOH still has some influence. Nowdays there is one per city full of fossils. Back then one per factory, and one per parish.

Again, this is just what my family was into and my perspective.

Read about the Molly Maquires. They were very rural and not really the same thing, but along the same lines. Also be careful that the author (especially the MOVIE) doesn't paint them out to be some sort of hero's who were picked on to the point of breaking. Both sides in that battle pushed as hard as they could.

This is all true...circa 1930 or so. Nowadays, every ethnic group does this.

And this isn't really organised crime, anymore than the old boy network in the American South is.

It's called "business as usual."