Themes are a constant topic of conversation in the Blue Guru office and many ideas are born from office discussions.

In this case the idea for Leprechaun Heist took root when one of the team revealed that he is related to two brothers (Clarence and John Anglin) who, along with Frank Morris, are still wanted by the FBI after they escaped from Alcatraz in 1962.

The Irish-American brothers were both serving time for bank robbery.

That gave us the inspiration to dig deeper and there was a lot to unearth.

Irish-American bank robbers have long been part of the criminal landscape in the United States, and many of these criminals have become infamous due to their daring exploits. From the late 19th century through today, these colorful characters have been associated with some of history’s most daring robberies. Here is a look at some of the most famous Irish-American bank robbers of all time.

John Dillinger was one of the most notorious gangsters in the United States during the 1930s. Born in Indiana to Irish immigrants, he led a criminal career that included robberies and escapes from prison. He and his gang were responsible for robbing more than 20 banks between 1933 and 1934, often using machine guns and other weapons during their raids. He was eventually captured in 1934, and spent the remainder of his life in prison before he was shot by FBI agents in 1934.

John Dillinger

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were a pair of bank robbers who operated during the early 1930s. Both were born to Irish-American families, and their exploits earned them the moniker of “Bonnie and Clyde”. While they were not as successful as Dillinger, they are still remembered for their daring robberies of banks and their wild lifestyle that included speeding away in fast cars. They were eventually shot to death by police in 1934.

Bonnie and Clyde

George “Machine Gun” Kelly was an American gangster and bank robber active during the 1920s and 1930s. He was born to an Irish-American family in Tennessee, and made his name by robbing banks across the country with a tommy gun. He was eventually captured in 1933 and sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 1954.

Another infamous Irish-American bank robber was Harry Pierpont, who operated during the 1920s and 1930s. He was born in Ohio to an Irish-American family, and engaged in several daring robberies of banks across the Midwest. He even managed to escape prison twice before being recaptured in 1934. He was executed later that year for his crimes.

The Anglin brothers and Frank Morris were never found although a photo from 1975 is widely thought to be genuine and the FBI updated their files in 2022 to show how the brothers might look today so they’re still on the case.

This photo of their cell shows how ingenious their plan to escape was. You can see the escape hole in the wall and the papier mache head that was used to fool the guards.

Leprechaun Heist is entirely fictitious of course but it’s something that has plenty of real world parallels.

We hope you enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed researching and creating it.