A Criminal & an Irishman: The Inside Story of the Boston Mob-IRA Connection - Hardcover

Blythe, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1586421034 ISBN 13: 9781586421038

Publisher: Steerforth Pr, 2006

Synopsis

A Criminal and an Irishman is an incomparable account of Pat Nee's life as an Irish immigrant and Southie son, a Marine, a convicted IRA gun smuggler, and a former top associate of Whitey Bulger's. His narrative transports the reader into the criminal underworld, inside the planning and preparation for an armored car heist, inside gang wars and revenge killings. Pat Nee details his evolution from tough street kid to armed robber to dangerous potential killer. He discloses for the first time how he used his underworld connections and know-how as a passionate and effective IRA operative. For years law enforcement and the media have speculated about important events with Pat Nee near or at their center: the Mullen-Killeen gang war for control of South Boston, the Valhalla smuggling operation (seven tons of heavy weapons aboard a fishing boat from Gloucester, Massachusetts, bound for Ireland), the murder of John McIntyre, and many other episodes. Pat NeeÕs stories are sometimes dark and brutal, but they shed light on the world in which we live, and are stories that only he can tell.

About this title

Review:

"A profane, often brutal memoir . . . Nee maintained an uneasy alliance with [Whitey] Bulger while persuing his personal cause -- raising money and smuggling weapons for the Irish Republican Army." -- The Boston Herald

"Nee commits some horrible crimes, from attempted murder to armed robbery. Yet even as he chases someone with a rifle through South Boston, he's the sort of guy you want to root for." -- The Lawrence Eagle-Tribune

About the Author:

Patrick Nee was a major player in Boston’s infamous Irish mob. At fourteen he became associated with the gang that would later battle Whitey Bulger for rights to Southie’s criminal activities. When his younger brother was gunned down in the streets, Pat knew he was capable of killing for a cause, successfully hunting Peter’s killer and leaving him for dead. A Marine veteran of Vietnam, Pat helped the Irish Republican Army smuggle money, guns, and munitions out of the United States. He served nearly two years in prison for the seven tons of weapons he attempted to transport aboard the Valhalla, received early parole, then promptly attempted to rob an armored car in order to raise funds for the IRA. He served nine years for this conviction. Today he works as a day laborer and spends time with his two daughters and grandchildren.

Richard Farrell won the du Pont-Columbia Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism in 1996 for his film High on Crack Street. As an independent journalist he covered the war in Bosnia during the early 1990s. He has directed several award-winning films and written articles for the Boston Globe and numerous other publications. He lives in southern New Hampshire with Melissa Hardy and their two children, Siobhan and Aidan Farrell.

Michael Blythe, like his good friend Pat Nee, is a lifelong South Boston resident who served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is a screenwriter and father of six.

About this edition

• Publisher: Steerforth Pr
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1586421034
• ISBN 13: 9781586421038
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 215