There never was a gang called "The Dead Rabbits" and the firefighters were called "The Bowery B'hoys" as a general description, not as a gang name. Day-Lewis's character was long dead by the time the draft riots occured. Etc., etc. GONY wasn't even close to being historically accurate.

The Old Brewery "tenement" was fairly accurately depicted and it's take over by the Methodist missionaries was close to being correct.

The book, "Gangs of New York" by Herbert Asbury was a sensationalist piece of paddy-bashing.

Many of the Irish residents of Five Points came from the Landsdowne estate, sent to America because it was cheaper to pay their passages than to pay the "poor tax" (this during "Black '47").

Source: Five Points (the 19th century New York City neighborhood that invented tap dance, stole elections, and became the world's most notorious slum) by Tyler Anbinder.

CB