The Kerryonians were the second oldest criminal street gang in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
but may have been the first gang in the city. The members were made up of recent Irish immigrants from
County Kerry
County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. There was also a 19th-century
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
gang of the
same name. Beginning in the 1820s, the Kerryonians were part of the first wave of the early New York gangs, following behind the first and oldest gang in the city, the
Forty Thieves, to occupy the
Five Points area. The Kerryonians were particularly fond of targeting New Yorkers who were of
British descent. The Kerryonians also fought a gang named the "
Pelters".
[George Edward Lowen, ''History of the 71st Regiment, N. G., N. Y., American Guard'' New York: Veterans association, 71st regiment, N. G., N. Y., 1919] They are most known however for disrupting British actor
William Charles Macready
William Charles Macready (3 March 179327 April 1873) was an English stage actor. The son of Irish actor-manager William Macready the Elder he emerged as a leading West End theatre, West End performer during the Regency era.
Career
Macready wa ...
's performance at
Astor Place
Astor Place is a street in NoHo/ East Village, in the lower part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is divided into two sections: One segment runs from Broadway in the west (just below East 8th Street) to Lafayette Street, an ...
around 1825. The Kerryonians were eventually absorbed into the growing street gangs of Five Points such as the
Dead Rabbits,
Roach Guards, and
Chichesters.
References
*
Asbury, Herbert ''The Gangs of New York: A History of the New York Underworld''. New York. 1928.
*Ellis, Edward Robb. ''The Epic of New York City: A Narrative History''. New York: Basic Books, 2011.
;Specific
External links
{{Organized crime groups in New York City
Former gangs in New York City
Irish-American gangs
Irish-American culture in New York City