Irish mob
| Founded | United States: 1800s |
|---|---|
| Founding location | United States |
| Years active | Early 19th century–present |
| Territory | United States: New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Rock Island, Southern Illinois, St. Louis, Toledo. Presence also in Canada |
| Ethnicity | Primarily Irish and Irish-American, as well as Irish-Canadian |
| Criminal activities | Assault, murder, bribery, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, extortion, fencing, fraud, illegal gambling, loan sharking, money laundering, prostitution, racketeering, robbery, smuggling, theft, arms trafficking |
| Rivals | Italian-American Mafia (historically and depending on certain factions) certain groups historically of Russian organized crime (in North America) Aryan Brotherhood (in Oklahoma) |
The Irish mob (also known as the Irish-American mafia or Irish-American organized crime) refers to organized crime goups 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 U.S. and Canadian cities, especially in the Northeast and the urban industrial Midwest, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Chicago.