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 George Catlin painting of theFive Points, Manhattan,New York City in 1827 theslum territory of the "Kerryonians" and the other Irish criminal gangs | |
| Founded by | Irish immigrants fromCounty Kerry,Ireland |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Five Points, Manhattan,New York City |
| Years active | 1825-1830s |
| Territory | Lower East Side,Manhattan, New York City |
| Ethnicity | Irish |
| Membership(est.) | ? |
| Criminal activities | street fighting,knife fighting,assault,murder,robbery |
| Allies | Forty Thieves,Shirt Tails,Chichesters,Dead Rabbits,Tammany Hall |
| Rivals | Bowery Boys,Forty Thieves,Pelters |
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TheKerryonians were the second oldest criminal street gang inNew York City[1][2] but may have been the first gang in the city. The members were made up of recent Irish immigrants fromCounty Kerry,Ireland. There was also a 19th-centuryPhiladelphia gang of thesame name.[3] 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, theForty Thieves, to occupy theFive Points area. The Kerryonians were particularly fond of targeting New Yorkers who were ofBritish descent. The Kerryonians also fought a gang named the "Pelters".[4] They are most known however for disrupting British actorWilliam Charles Macready's performance atAstor Place around 1849. The Kerryonians were eventually absorbed into the growing street gangs of Five Points such as theDead Rabbits,Roach Guards, andChichesters.