The Irish community is one of New York City's major and important ethnic groups, and has been a significant proportion of the city's population since the waves of immigration in the late 19th century.
As a result of the Great Famine in Ireland, many Irish families were forced to emigrate from the country. By 1854, between 1.5 and 2 million Irish had left their country. In the United States, most Irish became city-dwellers. With little money, many had to settle in the cities that the ships landed in. By 1850, the Irish made up a quarter of the population in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Buffalo, and Baltimore.
New York City today has the largest number of Irish-Americans of any city in the United States. During the Celtic Tiger years, when the Irish economy was booming, the city saw a buying spree of residences by native Irish as second homes or as investment property.
Irish-Americans play a significant role in city and state politics, media, Wall Street, the Roman Catholic church, and the major sports leagues. They have been highly active in the Fire Department of New York City, New York City Police Department, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Irish Americans make up approximately 5.3% of New York City's population, composing the second largest non-Hispanic white ethnic group. Irish Americans first came to America in colonial years (pre-1776), with immigration rising in the 1820s due to poor living conditions in Ireland. But the largest wave of Irish immigration came after the Great Famine in 1845. The largest number of Irish immigrants came from some of Ireland's most populous counties, such as Cork, Galway, and Tipperary, surprisingly large numbers also originated in Counties Cavan, Meath, Dublin, and Queen's County, places not usually associated with the highest levels of emigration.
In the "early days", the 19th century, the Irish formed a predominant part of the European immigrant population of New York City, a "city of immigrants", which added to the city's diversity to this day.
After they came, Irish immigrants often crowded into subdivided homes, only meant for one family, and cellars, attics, and alleys all became home for some Irish immigrants. In fact, New York once had more Irishmen than Dublin itself. New York has long been a destination for Irish immigrants because they speak English, and there has long been a large Irish population there.
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, was originally developed as a resort for wealthy Manhattanites in 1879, but instead became a family-oriented Italian- and Irish-American community. Another large Irish-American community is located in Woodlawn, Bronx, but Woodlawn also has a mix of different ethnic groups. One large Irish community in Manhattan was Hell's Kitchen.
Other sizable Irish-American communities include Belle Harbor and Breezy Point, both in Queens. Two big Irish communities are Marine Park and neighboring Gerritsen Beach. The Irish have also settled "to a far lesser extent [in] Maspeth, Woodside, and Sunnyside, Queens."
The Irish in New York developed a particular reputation for joining the New York City Police Department as well as the New York Fire Department.
North Riverdale, Bronx
Woodlawn, Bronx
City Island, Bronx
Throggs Neck, Bronx
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn
Marine Park, Brooklyn
Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn
Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn
Broad Channel, Queens
Belle Harbor, Queens
Breezy Point, Queens
Rockaway Park, Queens
Rockaway Beach, Queens
Sunnyside, Queens
Maspeth, Queens
Woodside, Queens
St. George, Staten Island
West Brighton, Staten Island
Randall Manor, Staten Island
Bainbridge, Bronx
Five Points/Chinatown, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Inwood, Manhattan
Woodhaven, Queens
Mott Haven, Bronx
Kingsbridge, Bronx
University Heights, Bronx
Parkchester, Bronx
James Duane
William Jay Gaynor
Thomas F. Gilroy, Irish-born
William R. Grace, Irish-born
Hugh J. Grant
John F. Hylan
John Purroy Mitchel
John P. O'Brien
William O'Dwyer, Irish-born
Jimmy Walker
Robert F. Wagner Jr. - his mother was from Cork
R. Luke Concanen, Irish-born
John Connolly, Irish-born
Terence Cooke
Michael Corrigan
Timothy Dolan
Edward Egan
John Farley, Irish-born
Patrick Hayes
John Joseph Hughes, Irish-born
John McCloskey
John Joseph O'Connor
Francis Spellman
James L. Buckley, U.S. senator, federal judge
William F. Buckley Jr., writer, editor of National Review
William F. Buckley, Sr., oil baron
Edward Burns, actor, writer, director
Joseph Brennan, basketball player
Jimmy Breslin, former New York Daily News and Newsday writer
Robert De Niro actor
Matthew Broderick, actor
Jimmy Burke, gangster
James Cagney, actor
Hugh Carey, Governor of New York
George Carlin, comedian
William Bourke Cockran, congressman and noted Tammany Hall orator
George M Cohan, entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer
Mad Dog Coll, gangster
Margaret Colin. actress
James B. Comey, Deputy Attorney General of the United States
Jennifer Connelly, actress, model, Academy Award winner
Kevin Connors, ESPN sportscaster
James Coonan, gangster
Gerry Cooney, boxer
Bob Costas, sports broadcaster, television personality
Charles Dolan, billionaire, owner of Cablevision, Madison Square Garden & Knicks
James Dolan, billionaire, owner of New York Rangers & Radio City Music Hall
William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League
Art Donovan, football player
Charles J. Dougherty, president of Duquesne University
Francis Patrick Duffy, priest, Lieutenant Colonel and chaplain of 69th Infantry Regiment (New York)
Mike Dunleavy, Sr., basketball player, National Basketball Association head coach
Bill Dwyer, gangster
Eagleton, John T., NY State Assemblyman
Mickey Featherstone, gangster
Patrick Fitzgerald, United States Attorney
Bobby Flay, chef, television host, restaurateur
Mick Foley, wrestler, author
Jackie Gleason, comedian
Pete Hamill, writer, editor in chief of New York Daily News & New York Post
Henry Hill, gangster
Charles J. Hynes District Attorney for Kings County
Mychal F. Judge, OFM, priest and Chaplain of the Fire Department of New York
George W. Keller, architect
Raymond W. Kelly, New York Police Department Commissioner
Caroline Kennedy, author, attorney, daughter of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy, Jr., son of John F. Kennedy, magazine editor
George Kennedy, actor
Steven McDonald, NYPD Detective, public speaker, peace maker
Owney Madden, gangster
Michael Malloy, also known as Mike the Durable and Iron Mike, known for being "unkilliable"
Dennis Hart Mahan, professor of military theory and engineering at West Point
Alfred Thayer Mahan, influential naval historian
Wellington Mara, owner of New York Giants, member of Pro Football Hall of Fame
Frank McCourt, author, winner of Pulitzer Prize for literature
John McEnroe, tennis player, winner of seven Grand Slam tournaments
Patrick McEnroe, tennis player
Roderick McMahon, boxing and sports promoter
Vincent J. McMahon owner of World Wrestling Entertainment, sports promoter
Mary Tyler Moore, actress
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, U.S. Senator
Joe Mullen, hockey player
Richard Mulligan, actor
Chris Mullin, basketball player, member of 1992 Dream Team
Conan O'Brien, late night talk show host
John P. O'Brien, mayor of New York City
Jerry O'Connell, actor
Carroll O'Connor, actor
Charles O'Conor, United States Attorney, former presidential candidate
Rosie O'Donnell, actress, comedian
Ryan O'Neal, actor
Tatum O'Neal, actress
James Aloysius O'Gorman one-term United States Senator from New York, Justice of the New York District Court, Justice of the New York Supreme Court
Walter O'Malley, owner of Brooklyn Dodgers, infamous for moving them to Los Angeles
Bill O'Reilly, news commentator
Regis Philbin, television personality
Colin Quinn, comedian
Richard Riordan, former mayor of Los Angeles
Frank Shannon, Florida politician, political analyst, conservative columnist, and writer
Al Smith, governor of New York, 1928 Democratic Party presidential candidate
John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO
Gene Tunney, boxer
Jimmy Walker, mayor of New York City
19th Street Gang
40 Thieves
Dead Rabbits
Gopher Gang
Grady Gang
Kerryonians
Slobbery Jim
The Westies
Whyos
The Ducky Boys Gang
Fairytale of New York by Irish band The Pogues refers to the NYPD choir singing Galway Bay. This is traditional because the force traditionally was largely made up of Irish Americans.
Run All Night, 2015
Brooklyn, 2015
Michael Clayton, 2007
Emerald City, 2006
Daredevil, 2003
25th Hour, 2003
Gangs of New York, 2002
In America, 2002
Angela's Ashes, 1999
The Brothers McMullen, 1995
Mad Dog Coll, 1992
State of Grace, 1990
Q & A, 1990
Goodfellas, 1990
Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx, 1970
Madigan, 1968
Mad Dog Coll, 1961
Beau James, 1957
On the Waterfront, 1954
The Luck of the Irish, 1948
The Lady from Shanghai, 1947
My Wild Irish Rose, 1947
The Kid from Brooklyn, 1946
Going My Way, 1944
Little Nellie Kelly, 1940
East Side Kids, 1940
The Fighting 69th, 1940
Waterfront, 1939
The Flying Irishman, 1939
Angels with Dirty Faces, 1938
Mannequin, 1937
Me and My Gal, 1932
The Last Dance, 1930
Blue Bloods, 2010
The Black Donnellys, 2007
CSI: NY, 2004
Rescue Me, 2004
Grounded for Life, 2001
The Job, 2001
The Beat, 2000
The King of Queens, 1999
Trinity, 1998
Brooklyn South, 1997
Ryan's Hope, 1975
Going My Way, 1962
All in the Family, 1971
Archie Bunker's Place, 1979
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, 1993
