Five Areas Which Make the Irish Organized Crime Milieu Distinctive

• Author: James Windle
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10439862221138683
• Published date: 01 February 2023
• Date: 01 February 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862221138683

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

2023, Vol. 39(1) 133 –152

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/10439862221138683

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Article

Five Areas Which Make

the Irish Organized Crime

Milieu Distinctive

James Windle1

Abstract

This article critically assesses five areas that may together make the Irish organized

crime milieu distinctive. First, there is minimal research. Second, organized crime

groups and illicit enterprises are often characterized as “family-gangs.” Third, some

violent conflicts are framed as family feuds. Fourth, a broad range of paramilitary

groups have influenced Irish organized crime, in a variety of ways. Fifth, many

organized crime groups and illicit enterprises are internationally mobile. Three types

of mobility are identified: those commuting to other countries for one-off jobs, those

migrating for longer periods, and mobile illicit enterprises. Allum’s push/pull model

of criminal migration is employed to offer some suggestions as to why Irish criminals

migrate and the choice of destination. The final section argues that some of the

features that make Irish organized crime distinctive are changing or may have already

changed. The article highlights key areas of further research needed to clarify the

structure of organized crime in Ireland.

Keywords

family, feuding, Ireland, mobility, organized crime, paramilitaries

Introduction

The Irish organized crime milieu can be said to have five distinctive features: (a) there

is minimal research, (b) many organized crime groups (OCGs) and illicit enterprises

are characterized as “family-gangs,” (c) violent conflicts often take the form of family

feuds, (d) a broad range of paramilitary groups influence Irish organized crime, and (e)

1University College Cork, Ireland

Corresponding Author:

James Windle, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University College Cork, Askive Building,

Donovans Road, Cork T12 K8AF, Ireland.

Email: James.windle@ucc.ie

1138683CCJXXX10.1177/10439862221138683Journal of Contemporary Criminal JusticeWindle

research-article2022

134 Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 39(1)

many OCGs and illicit enterprises are internationally mobile. While none of these

features are unique to Ireland, together they make the Irish organized crime milieu

distinctive.1

This article reviews the existing literature on organized crime in Ireland and uses

theories developed in other jurisdictions to offer insights into the mechanics of orga-

nized crime in Ireland and the structural changes that may be occurring. The first sec-

tion provides context by discussing the definition of organized crime and the scarcity

of academic research on the topic. This is followed by a critical review of discussions

around family-gangs, including an assessment of Hourigan’s (2011) colonialism the-

ory, which is Ireland’s first theory of organized crime. The article then reviews the

importance of feuding in, and complexity of paramilitary involvement within, the

organized crime milieu before discussing the mobility of some Irish criminals. The

final section draws from the work of Hobbs (2001) to argue that some of the features

that make Irish organized crime distinctive are changing, or may have already changed.

The article’s core argument is that economic and cultural changes, at the local and

global level, are changing that which makes organized crime in Ireland distinctive.

Defining Organized Crime in Ireland

Organized crime means different things to different people. It can be used in a purpo-

sively vague manner to include anything from solitary thieves to groups performing

quasi-state functions. While this ambiguity makes it an unsuitable scientific category,

it does usefully denote a broad field of academic study (von Lampe, 2016; Windle &

Silke, 2019).

Organized crime is not defined under Irish law; however, the Criminal Justice Act

(2006, paragraph 70) defines a “criminal organisation” as

A structured group, however organised, that: (a) is composed of 3 or more persons acting

in concert, (b) is established over a period of time, (c) has as its main purpose or main

activity the commission or facilitation of one or more serious offences in order to obtain,

directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit.

“Serious offense” is defined as an offence punishable by imprisonment of 4 or more

years. “Structured group” is defined by what it is not: It must not be “randomly formed

for the immediate commission of a single offence” and does not require “formally

defined roles for its members, continuity of its membership or a developed

structure.”

The lack of a legal definition of organized crime, and the vagueness of the criminal

organization definition, limits the usefulness of official reports for research purposes.

One way to limit ambiguity is to follow Varese’s (2017) categorization of organized

crime into three types:

 Illicit enterprises participate in black markets, such as those selling drugs for

profit;