Author John Joe McGinley on his book exploring Irish American criminality - The Irish Wise Guys - Signed copies available now from The Bookshop.ie. Donegal based author John Joe McGinley outlines the background of the book below. All our copies are signed brand new, the book was published by Ballpoint Press in paperback in 2020. A must read for anyone with an interest in true crime, or the sometimes chequered history of the Irish in America.  

Irish Wise Guys – the stories of the most notorious Irish American Gangsters. 

The United States has always opened its arms to the huddled masses of Irish men and

women, who have left their native land for a better life, and most have repaid this

hospitality many times over.

Twenty-three of the 46 presidents of the United States claim Irish descent. The first man on

the moon Neil Armstrong’s ancestors came from Fermanagh and Tyrone. In the world of

business, Henry Ford, the inventor of the modern assembly line, considered himself both an

American and a West Cork man. Ireland has also given the US millions of ordinary men and

women who have led lives as good citizens contributing to the growth of American society.

When you think of the Irish in America, an iconic image is of the cops who pounded the beat

of New York and other major American cities such as Boston and Chicago. However, an

unsavoury side to the Irish in America has always been the rise of — and violence caused by

— the Irish American gangsters. This Irish Wise Guts highlights the stories of the most

famous of these men, many of whom became America’s most wanted criminals and some

even Public Enemy Number 1.

The Irish Wise Guys is a no-holds-barred account focusing on the most notorious Irish

American Gangsters. Crime bosses for whom death and destruction was a daily currency in

their lives. Men who made millions and rarely died a natural death!

Gangsters like Whitey Bulger, Vincent ‘Mad Dog’ Coll, George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly and

Owney ‘The Killer’ Madden. In different circumstances these men could have been captains

of industry, politicians, or even union leaders. Instead, they choose a path of crime that

would make them into some of the most wanted men in America.

Loners like Vincent ‘Mad Dog’ Coll are rare in the annals of Irish American gangsters who

mostly achieved notoriety as member of gangs. These sprung up almost from the first

moments Irish emigrants came off the boats in New York or settled in Boston and

Chicago.

No story of Irish American gangsters would be complete without a look at each of these

gangs who were the steppingstone for so many in their rise in the world of crime. Gangs

who controlled the waterfronts of the growing cities of America and who made prohibition

a multimillion-dollar business.

Irish Wise Guys explores organisations like the Gophers, The White Hand gang, the

Northside gang, Winter Hill Gang, and the Westies.

The lives of some of these men have been explored, but many fascinating stories still remain

to highlight the lives they led, the crimes they committed and the part they played in

American history. This is a story which will appeal to anyone interested in Irish American history 

or true crime.

This book is written in a conversational style and is easily accessible to those who don’t know 

much about any of the Irish American gangsters.

Each chapter detail the lives, crimes, escapades and often gruesome deaths of each man.

You can listen to the author narrate the tale of one Irish Wise Guy - Bill Dwyer - here - https://soundcloud.com/user-330162716/bill-dwyer-...

Signed copies are available at : https://thebookshop.ie/mcginley-john-joe-the-irish...