When does somebody become a proper "gangster" in Ireland ?

Maybe try not reading the Sunday World.

Why would you waste brain cells absorbing which trackie wearing scrote is which?

They're all subhuman lowlife.

I was going to say when the tabloid press starts referring to them using a stupid nickname, but actually most of the fellas with the nicknames these days are non-entities. The likes of The General pulled off some pretty impressive heists.

You're officially a gangster when CAB start knocking on your door.

Aren't nearly all of them on the dole anyway? I doubt CAB would investigate him unless they had good reason to.

What always annoyed me was when papers would have pictures of these thugs looking all tough - eyes hardened and glaring at the camera - on the way in/out of court instead of putting up a pic that shows them as the cowards they are.

If the camera shutter is flicking hundreds of times, use the image that won't embolden/enhance their ego and reputation.

Used to drive me crazy seeing all those goons from Limerick looking like hard men on the paper, when we all know what they really are. Cowards.

We should have a Japanese style system where you have to register gang membership to ensure higher standards are being maintained.

I think they should in order to elevate their profession to include a modicum of credibility they should make an effort as regards their appropriate appearance…

“ story bud “

Yep. Much like the old Gypsies in Ireland. They were seen as somewhat decent people and weren’t held in the same disregard as travellers today. I’ve actually heard this comparison mentioned a few times before by older people. As time moved on and Ireland progressed, the people and their values regressed. The so called gangsters that are around now wouldn’t have survived years ago, they wouldn’t have been allowed carry on the way they do and it’s the same with the travellers. Values and what traveller people stood for in bygone days have gone out the window .

The mafia in cities like New York and Chicago is the exact same. Generations of crime families operated with what basically can be described as class. The mafia nowadays are seen as a bit of a joke and they no longer hold the same power or authority as they did for so many decades.