Saturday, April 11th at 2pm
Join Author Logan Joyce for a Deep Dive into Pittsburgh’s Most Daring Heist Ring
In his new non-fiction book, Sins for Erin, author Logan Joyce uncovers a gripping—and deeply personal—chapter of Pittsburgh’s criminal past. Centered on his own Irish-Catholic ancestors, the book explores what The Pittsburgh Press (1922) called “one of the most daring and successful shoplifting rings ever operated in Pittsburgh.”
Operating between 1917 and 1922, the ring was ignited by the spirit of the 1916 Irish Easter Rising. Far from simple theft, these downtown heists were a means of resistance, helping to fund Irish rebels during the War for Independence. Led by the formidable Bridget (Keane) Joyce and her partner-in-crime Helen (Riley) Bannon, this family-run operation bridged the gap between the storefronts of Downtown and the neighborhoods of the South Side—until it all came crashing down in 1922.
About the Author Logan Joyce is a Pittsburgh native and historian who has been digging into his family’s South Side roots since the age of 13. A chance discovery on Newspapers.com in 2021 led him down a four-year rabbit hole of archives and ancestry, culminating in the 2026 release of Sins for Erin.
