Irish woman murdered in NYC to be remembered at Mass this Saturday

Sarah McNally, the Co Longford woman who was murdered in Queens on March 30, will be remembered by the local community in New York City at a month's mind Mass this Saturday, April 27.

McNally's month's mind Mass will be hosted at St. Adalbert's Roman Catholic Church in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City on Saturday at 5 pm.

The month's mind Mass was announced on social media on Tuesday by The Céilí House, the Irish pub where McNally was working the night she was murdered. 

McNally, who had been living and working in the US for a number of years, died on Saturday night, March 30 after being stabbed while working at The Céilí House, an Irish bar in Maspeth, Queens.

On Monday, April 1, McNally's boyfriend Marcin Pieciak, 36, was arrested and charged with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. 

According to The Daily News, the court heard during the arraignment that Pieciak and McNally's relationship "was not going well" and that McNally had been considering returning to Ireland.

A funeral for McNally was held in her native Co Longford on April 8. McNally's friend Áine told mourners that Sarah was "larger than life, she was someone special, a unique force to be reckoned with who was made for great things.

"Everyone in her community at home and abroad are shell-shocked, none more so than her beloved family." 

Áine said Sarah was "so well-known for her beauty, kindness, and huge personality. She went out to take on the world with the abilities she gained from her doting parents.

"There are so many good things we could say about her and there's just not enough time. She was loyal, trustworthy, so warm, and she gave the best hugs."

McNally's family has requested that donations, if desired, be made to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust or c/o Glennon Funeral Directors or any family member.

On April 19, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Pieciak had been arraigned on an indictment charging him with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.

The District Attorney's Office said that according to the charges, Pieciak was seen on video footage walking behind the bar in the bartender area toward McNally.

The defendant stabbed McNally 19 times in the neck, back, and chest causing significant wounds and bleeding.

Pieciak then cut his own throat several times and tried to leave the bar. A bar patron tried to detain Pieciak until police arrived.

Pieciak came out of the bar brandishing two knives at police, who were able to safely disarm him and recover the knives.

McNally was taken to the hospital for treatment of her extensive wounds which included damage to her carotid artery and a severed spine. She was pronounced dead due to her injuries.

Katz said: “The defendant is accused of cruelly and brazenly taking the life of someone he purported to care for and doing so in front of her colleagues and bar patrons.

"We are grateful to the grand jury for returning these serious charges and we will work to seek justice for Sarah McNally.”

Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant remanded the defendant and ordered him to return to court on June 18.