The Westies: Inside the Hell's Kitchen Irish Mob Summary and Reviews

The Westies: Inside the Hell's Kitchen Irish Mob
by T. J. English

The Westies: Inside the Hell's Kitchen Irish Mob
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Book Summary Information

Author: T. J. English
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1990-03-19
ISBN: 0399135405
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons

Book Reviews of The Westies: Inside the Hell's Kitchen Irish Mob

Book Review: Good but "Irish Gangs And Stick-Fighting" better.
Summary: 4 Stars

As you can see, "The Westies" tells the story of the last days of the Irish Mob in Manhattan's West Side. The upcoming film by Martin Scorcese is based on the first half of the book "The Gangs Of New York", which was an attempt to chronicle the rise to power of these same Irish gangs. (The first half of "The Gangs Of New York" deals almost exclusively with Irish gangs). Both books are good, but they don't explain the fighting traditions or rituals of the Irish gangs, they simply describe these gangs and their violence in a sensational way. They tell you what they did, but now why and in many cases the traditions the describe are not understood by the authors. Hurley's book remedies these problems by providing first hand accounts of Irish gangs and their fights, written by a semi-reformed 19th century Irish stick-fighter named William Carleton. "Irish Gangs And Stick-Fighting" vividly describes Ireland's street fighting culture which was governed by a code of honour which Hurley rightly calls 'Shillelagh Law'. This code became the foundation for the code of the Irish gangs in New York and other American cities, and eventually, for the non-Irish gangs which came to follow. The flashy clothes, the spectacular violence, the street slang, all of the things we associate today with gangs and the mafia were found first among the Irish gang members in Ireland. (The use of the word "mob" to describe organized crime for example, comes from the days when the Irish gangs in NYC were the muscle behind Tammany Hall and through them the democratic party in NYC. WASP's used to refer to the Irish "mobsters" and their strong arm tactics at polling booths, and through riots, etc., as "mob rule"). If you are Irish or have an interest in Irish gangs get "The Westies", get "The Gangs Of New York", and see Scorcese's film. But to really understand the origins of these gangs and the hype behind the myth, get Hurley's "Irish Gangs And Stick-Fighting" - you'll be glad you did.

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