All the Events of The Irishman in Chronological Order, Because It's Just a Little Confusing

Published on Nov 6, 2019 at 1:45 PM

After spending nearly a decade in development, The Irishman is finally in theaters, and soon enough, it will be available to stream on Netflix. Based on Charles Brandt's true-crime novel I Heard You Paint Houses, this Martin Scorsese crime drama revolves around the scandalous life of Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, a mob hitman who was known for his supposed involvement in labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa's death. The story is pretty wild, and unfortunately, it's made even more difficult to follow with The Irishman's nonlinear narrative. To spare you some confusion, here are all the important events and dates you should know.

Frank Sheeran Is Discharged From the Army in 1945 and Starts Working For Russell Bufalino in 1955

Before Frank Sheeran became the Irishman, he served with the US Army during World War II. After he was discharged from the army in 1945, Sheeran moved to Philadelphia, where he began working as a truck driver for a grocery chain. Eventually, he started collecting money for small-time Philly loan sharks on the side to help support himself.

When he had a chance encounter in 1955 with Russell Bufalino, boss of the northeastern Pennsylvania Bufalino crime family, Sheeran was more than happy to start doing small jobs for the mob boss as well. Of course, those small jobs eventually became bigger (and more lethal) tasks.

Bufalino Introduces Sheeran to Jimmy Hoffa in 1957

Once Sheeran had earned Bufalino's trust, the mob boss decided to introduce Sheeran to Jimmy Hoffa in 1957. Hoffa was an infamous labor union leader who then served as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union that historically suffered from corruption and control by organized crime, including the Mafia.

The union leader was in need of a hitman, and Bufalino thought Sheeran was the right man for the job. Hoffa agreed, and Sheeran became a close confidante of Hoffa, eventually earning the position of a top Teamsters Union official. Even while he grew closer to Hoffa, Sheeran continued to act as the Bufalino crime family hitman and top aide to Bufalino himself.

Hoffa Is Sent to Prison in 1967, and Sheeran Kills a Colombo Family Mobster 4 Years Later

Eventually, Hoffa's many crimes caught up with him. In 1967, Hoffa was sentenced to 13 years in prison for jury tampering, attempted bribery, and fraud. However, just four years later, he was pardoned by President Richard Nixon, but only if he agreed to resign as union president and not participate in union activities until 1980, which Hoffa agreed to do.

While he was away, Sheeran continued working for the union chief who replaced him, Frank Fitzsimmons, as well as for Bufalino. In 1972, the same year Hoffa was released from prison, Sheeran made one of his biggest hits yet on Colombo family mobster Joey "Crazy Joe" Gallo on Bufalino's order. Sheeran killed Gallo while he sat in a restaurant, and somehow, Sheeran managed to escape unscathed.

Hoffa Tries to Make a Comeback Before Disappearing in 1975 and Being Declared Dead in 1982

Despite the promise Hoffa made to Nixon, he couldn't stay away from union activities. He started off trying to initiate a comeback at the local level with Local 299 in Detroit — where he still had associates and influence — but eventually, he set his sights on running again for presidency of the union. Unfortunately, Mafia kingpins didn't want him to regain control of the Teamsters. They worried that Hoffa would be willing to trade information to the Justice Department in exchange for lifting the restrictions put on him by Nixon and could no longer trust him. The mob bosses supposedly sent threats to Hoffa's supporters in an attempt to keep Hoffa from running, but Hoffa refused to back down.

Allegedly, Bufalino decided to take more drastic action. Hoffa mysteriously disappeared in July 1975 from the parking lot of a restaurant outside of Detroit. By 1982, he was declared legally dead, though his body was never found and the case was never closed. Though we can't know for sure, it's widely believed that Bufalino ordered his hitman to stop Hoffa from running again, making Sheeran responsible for Hoffa's almost certain murder.