A Criminal and an Irishman

A former rival and associate of Whitey Bulger tells all in this true crime memoir about the inner workings of life in the Irish mob

Perfect for readers of Say Nothing, Black Mass, and Paddy Whacked

“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

** 20th Anniversary Edition ** A Boston Globe Bestseller **

A Criminal and an Irishman is the story of Pat Nee’s life as an Irish immigrant and Southie son, a combat marine in Vietnam and convicted IRA gun smuggler, and a former rival-turned-associate of James “Whitey” Bulger. His narrative transports readers into the criminal underworld, taking them inside preparation for armored car heists, gang wars, and revenge killings.

Nee details his evolution from tough street kid to armed robber to dangerous potential killer, disclosing how he used his underworld connections as a secret operative for the Irish Republican Army.

For years, Pat smuggled weapons and money from the United States to Ireland — in the bottoms of coffins, behind false panels of vans — leading up to a transatlantic shipment of 7 ½ tons of munitions aboard the fishing trawler Valhalla. No other Southie underworld figure can match Pat’s reputation for resolve and authenticity.Author’s Note
1. How to Rob an Armored Car
2. Ireland
3. Gunslinger
4. The Mullen Gang
5. The Stuttering Marine
6. Hawaii
7. A War We Should Have Won
8. Crime Pays
9. Peter Nee
10. Hunting
11. The Southie Gang War
12. “The Truce”
13. A Criminal and an Irishman
14. The Long Journey Home
15. The Birth of Valhalla
16. Seven Tons of Guns
17. The Atlantic Ocean
18. Circle of Green“A profane, often brutal memoir . . . Nee maintained an uneasy alliance with Bulger while pursuing 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 . . . Scenes in which Nee interacts with his parents or siblings are most touching. He’s a good son, a bit of a smart-aleck and a fine drinking buddy as well as a gunrunner and would be assassin.”
—The Lawrence Eagle-TribunePatrick Nee was a major player in Boston's infamous Irish Mob. At 14 he became associated with the gang that would later battle Whitey Bulger for rights to Southie's criminal activities. A Marine veteran of Vietnam, Pat helped the Irish Republican Army smuggle money, guns, and munitions out of the US. He served nearly two years 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 latter conviction.

Richard Farrell won the du-Pont Columbia for Broadcast Journalism for his film High on Crack Street and is also author of the memoir What's Left of Us.

Michael Blythe, like his good friend Pat Nee, grew up in South Boston and served in the US Marine Corps."Not one account in this book is taken from a newspaper article, a police report, or somebody else's 'gangster' book. Everything detailed in this book I have either done, seen done, or heard about from the person who did it. Most reporters and authors who write Southie gangster books use CIs - confidential informers - as sources. However, seldom is the majority of information compiled by these sources correct information. Confidential informers are self-serving criminals who lie. This book is different from other books on the Boston Irish mob or any other 'Whitey/Southie' crime book. If my recollections don't match those in some other book by some other criminal, I don't care. My memory is not perfect. This is my life as I remember it. And I'm comfortable with that." - Author's Note, Patrick Nee20th Anniversary Edition