Despite the prevalent discussion about our nation’s preoccupation with self-critique, as reflected in newspapers, radio talk shows, and social media, we can’t ignore the fact that our country is among the wealthiest, fairest, and safest nations on the planet. Even so, our country is noted for its status as a tax haven and a substandard football team.
A key area where we had been lagging globally until recently, is in our lack of criminal empires. This is contrary to the notable achievement of the many millions from our nation who, over the past one and a half centuries, have ventured out, heading west, east, and south, to construct new lives. They have built cities, excavated resources, cleared wreckage, mentored, maintained gentleman’s residences, and served on boards. Notably, some have even erected empires, distinct from the brutality of the British, Spanish, French, or Austrian empires.
The discussion here is about nefarious empires, an area where we had been lagging until recently, despite our past prowess evidenced in Australia where we quickly transitioned from sheep theft to bank heists within a generation, a skill evidently lost. Similarly in America, we had a major role, comparable yet lesser-known than the Italian mafias. Let’s not overlook Tomás Ó hAogáin (linked with the Hughes surname and its connection to ‘fire’), the right-hand man of mafia lord Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather, who had Irish roots or descended from famine survivors.
“We didn’t think we had ties to films like The Godfather, Scarface, Meanstreets or Goodfellas, but maybe there was some connection to Gangs of New York. Armed with stun guns and spraying bullets, we navigated the roads of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago without difficulty.
Our activities had lyrical names like Dead Rabbits, Abu Dhabi’s White Hand, Tormented Bones, Leave the Boloch, Croke Porc, and other exotic titles. We also had aliases for our leaders and captives who commanded our attention, such as Axe Ó Tuathail, the Bomber Ó Brosnacháin, and the Hawk Seoigheach. This echoes the names found amongst the current members of our indigenous crime syndicates.
It might be more truthful to attribute these developments to mainstream news rather than social media. At present, a group known as ‘the family’ is emerging, taking the place of the O’Connors and Uí Bhroin clans, who are prominent in society or stationed in Dubai. International guards succeeded in cracking open coded communication systems, exposing drug operations, by gaining access to the inner workings of mobile phones. This led to the discovery of our native gangs in broad daylight. We are as mature, as constant as the weather, and as rooted as any nation.
Aren’t we fortunate that no mobile devices detonated during the investigation?”