New York community to remember ‘beautiful’ and ‘unique’ Longford woman Sarah McNally at month’s mind mass

The much-loved 41-year-old was stabbed to death inside the doors of the Ceili House Bar in Maspeth, Queens on March 30 where she had been working as a bartender.

Friends and former colleagues of the fun-loving Longford woman will come together to mark her month’s mind mass on Saturday, exactly four weeks to the day since her passing.

Details surrounding the month's mind Mass were announced on social media by representatives from The Céilí House Bar.

St. Adalbert's Roman Catholic Church in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City (5pm US time) will provide the venue for an occasion that is once again expected to draw plenty of emotion among a community where the car loving enthusiast was so well respected.

Ms McNally’s funeral took place almost three weeks ago at St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford town.

There, the popular and outgoing former Irish Prison Service’s employee was fondly remembered as someone who had an insatiable zest for life and helping others.

“She had a heart of gold,” said her best friend Áine Wade. “She loved everyone and she made a lasting impression on people and one that we will all remember forever.”

Those tributes and others of a similar ilk which are expected in New York tomorrow come as her former boyfriend remains on remand in custody accused of her murder.

Marcin Pieciak (36), of 76th Street in Glendale, was arraigned last Friday at a sitting of Queens Supreme Court charged with second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.

The accused had formally been indicted by a Grand Jury earlier this month in his absence as a result of self-inflicted stab wounds following the incident at the Ceili House Bar in Maspeth, Queens on March 30.

District Attorney Melinda Katz said the violent nature of the incident was one which had still to fully sink in for communities on both sides of the Atlantic.

“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.

‘You were beautiful, unique. We loved you’– funeral of Sarah McNally told loved ones left ‘shell-shocked’ by murder

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

According to the charges, Pieciak entered the bar where Ms McNally had been working and stabbed her 19 times in the neck, back and chest.

Pieciak, moments later, allegedly cut his own throat several times before a customer bravely attempted to detain the accused from fleeing the scene.

The charges go on to allege that when police detectives arrived soon afterwards, they managed to disarm Pieciak just as the accused emerges from behind the bar brandishing two knives.

Both Pieciak and Ms McNally were rushed to the nearby Elmhurst Hospital where the deeply admired Longford native passed away from her injuries.