The Story of Paddy’s Peelers
THE STORY OF PADDY’S PEELERS
…Originally: a member of the Irish constabulary. Later: (more gen.) a police officer; spec. a member of the original London Metropolitan force…
O’Brien soon gained a reputation at the Bow Street court for his clever and expedient investigations. While his professional life provided him great satisfaction, his personal life was lacking. He and his wife lamented the absence of children in their household.
When Paddy stumbled across a sick waif in an alley in Whitehall, he brought the lad home.
Over the years, their “family” grew to a brood of seven.
The couple developed the unique talents of their six boys and one girl, eventually creating a detective agency as the children grew into adulthood.
The men would spend an allotted time as a constable for Bow Street while working in the “family business.”
Nicknamed Paddy’s Peelers (peeler slang for an Irish policeman), O’Brien’s crew became an efficient team that included detectives, a physician who doubled as a coroner for autopsies, a solicitor who specialized in criminal law, a female master of disguise able to infiltrate any level of society, and a barrister who later joined their ranks to present certain cases pro bono in a High Court.