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The top ten Irish outlaws and gangsters - SEE PHOTOS

Published Wednesday, August 4, 2010, 7:23 AM
Updated Wednesday, August 4, 2010, 11:44 AM

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Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid


SEE PHOTOS HERE

The Irish have a history of rebellion and renegade behavior. Here are the ten most famous Irish men --and one woman-- who lived outside the law. 

1. Billy the Kid: (1859–  1881)  real name William McCarty has become one of the legendary figures of the Wild West. His mother was an Irish immigrant who grew up in Ireland and raised her son in a New York slum before heading out west.

2. Ned Kelly, (1855 – 1880)iconic figure of Australian legend, son of Tipperary emigrants who has come to symbolize the rebellious Australian spirit

3.James 'Whitey' Bulger: (1929 ---) currently Number One on the FBI most wanted list. A Boston mafia kingpin who is reputed to have killed or ordered the killings of up to fifty people.

4. The Pirate Queen: (1530 -1603)  Grace O'Malley, famous Irish sea pirate of the 16th century. Her fame became so great that Queen Elizabeth 1 summoned her to London in order to meet her. The Broadway Show 'The Pirate Queen' was based on her life.

5. Emmett Dalton: (1871-1937) The Dalton gang were al known as the 'Wild Bunch' one of the most famous train  robber families in American history. Emmett Dalton was a ringleader and the only survivor of the famous Coffeyville shootout in 1892. 

6.James Freney (1719–1788) was an Irish highwayman.the most famous of that era, His family in Kilkenny had their lands taken from them by the English and Freney took to highway robberies to get revenge. Pursued all over Ireland he managed to escape into exile but his body was later brought back to Kilkenny where he is still alive in the folk memory there.

7. John "Legs" Diamond, real name  Jack Moran (July 10, 1897-December 18, 1931),was the son of an Irish immigrant. Also known as  Gentleman Jack he was   a famous Irish American  gangster and bootlegger in New York city  during the Prohibition era. Famous  for surviving numerous attempts on his life

8.Owney "The Killer" Madden (December 18, 1891–April 24, 1965) was a leading underworld figure in Manhattan, most notable for his involvement in organized crime during Prohibition. He also ran the famous Cotton Club and was a leading boxing promoter in the 1930s.Though English born, his parents were both from Ireland.

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12 Comments

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iancarty | Mar 21, 2011, 05:31 PM EDT
billy the kids mum was from Sligo she sailed from Sligo harbour she was my cousin the photos look just like my family you swear it was us

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jimmybadger | Jan 14, 2011, 04:00 PM EST
great site, but you missed the biggest Gangster and Fraudster ever to come out of Ireland ,BRIAN COWEN he defrauded the Irish People and nation out of €84BILLION EURO YES THATS CORRECT €84BILLION EURO.

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WoundedKnee | Aug 06, 2010, 02:10 AM EDT
How come you have listed no Fianna Fail politicians?

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BridyMurphy | Aug 05, 2010, 12:18 PM EDT
What about Jesse James? I'm related to him on both sides of my family (that's right, my family tree has no branches) LOL

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michaelcollins | Aug 05, 2010, 09:08 AM EDT
what about christy kinahan who is locked up in spain for his 1 billion euro drug and property empire....or george (the penguin) mitchell...who lives in amsterdam and is worth over 300 million euros with his drug smuggling....or john gilligan....who is doing 20 yrs for the import of drugs into ireland

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Laura Wilson | Aug 05, 2010, 08:03 AM EDT
sounds like the Good the Bad & the Ugly

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RthrBHistCorr | Aug 04, 2010, 02:11 PM EDT
How about listing the top ten Irish Recipients of the Medal of Honor. 1) Audie Murphy (Most decorated Combat soldier WW II) 2) Joseph J. McCarthy (Iwo Jima) 3) Dan Daly (received it twice) 4) Michale P. Murphy (Afghanistan) 5) Edward "Butch" O'Hare (O'Hare Airport) 6) Henry Hogan (awarded twice) 7) John McCloy (awarded twice) 8) John Joseph Kelly (awarded twice) 9) Michael Dougherty (awarded civil war, survived Andersonville and the Sultana explosion) 10) William "Wild Bill" Donaovan (WW I and later head of the OSS in WW II). There are some 250 plus Irish born recipients and countless Irish American Recipients to go. For some reason I can't see a web site serving the Italian American community listing the "Top Ten Mafia Dons" or a site dedicated to the Jewish communityt bragging of Bernie Madoff. But then what do you expect form a site dominated by the "St.Paddys day"[sic] Green Beer Crowd.

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peterquinn | Aug 04, 2010, 12:43 PM EDT
No mention of Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll? His family were irish speakers from Gweedore, in Donegal. He spent a hitch in the Catholic Protectory, which stood where Parkchester now stands. He was a gunslinger for Dutch Schultz and one of the last of the free-style gangsters who worked outside the Syndicate. For this he paid with his life, cut down by a machine-gun wielding assassin in the London Pharmacy, on 23rd Street. He's buried in St. Raymond's Cemetery.

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rhunter67 | Aug 04, 2010, 12:30 PM EDT
Jack Diamond does not deserve to be above Owney Madden on this list. Legs' recklessness is part of the reason, along with that of Mad Dog Coll, the Irish were essentially snubbed when the Italian-Jewish Syndicate was formed. At the same time, it needs to be considered that Madden made his name as the leader of the Gopher Gang that ruled Hell's Kitchen in the early 1910s,moved on to being leader of the powerful Combine that controlled NYC during most of Prohibition. Madden controlled clubs, boxers, booze, and gambling. Upon his retirement, he lorded over the Syndicate's gambling interests in Hot Springs for 35 years. Legs accomplished peanuts compared to what Madden did.

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slainte9 | Aug 04, 2010, 11:46 AM EDT
How about doing the 10 most famous Irish educators and generals. You could start with: Dennis Hart Mahan - dean of faculty at West Point for almost the entire ante-bellum and Civil War period. The real Good Will Hunting, who almost single-handedly transferred the engineering and military expertise of France to America. And his son Alfred Thayer Mahan, who was the inspiration for Sea Power and the modern US Navy, America's shield against fascism in the Pacific and Europes lifeline to liberty in the Atlantic during WWII. For generals you'd start with William Tecumseh Sherman, Phil Sheridan, George Gordon Meade and John Reynolds. Even Ulysses Grant had a Kelly and Ulster in his family tree.

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jimimarie | Aug 04, 2010, 11:38 AM EDT
I am a decedent of Emmett Dalton and the rest of them. Something most people don't know is that the Dalton's were first cousins of The Youngers and Jesse and Frank James.

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carrickcourt | Aug 04, 2010, 09:55 AM EDT
Do not forget the Australian-Irish bush ranger Ned Kelly. The only known letter in Ned Kelly's own hand is a 28 July 1870 letter to Victoria Police Sergeant James Babington (Abt 1832-1881). James Babington was born in Magheracloone, Co. Monaghan and left Ireland for Australia in 1855. In 1870 over 60% of the Victoria, Australia police force were made up of persons born in Ireland. I am related to James Babington through one of my paternal ancestors.

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