By Adam Daly
The man who fatally stabbed Longford woman Sarah McNally in a New York pub last year has been sentenced to 24 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
McNally, 41, originally from Co Longford, had lived in New York for a decade and worked as a bartender at the Céilí House in Maspeth, Queens. She had been planning to return home to Ireland when she was attacked and killed by her former boyfriend in March 2024.
Marcin Pieciak, 37, appeared in Queens Supreme Court on Friday, 21 November wearing beige prison garb with his hands cuffed, keeping his head down throughout most of the hearing. He pleaded guilty last month to first-degree manslaughter as part of a plea deal.
Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant, who imposed the negotiated sentence, described surveillance footage of the attack as “one of the most horrifying videos” she had ever seen.
On 30 March 2024, Pieciak entered the Céilí House pub, walking directly behind the bar where McNally was working, and stabbed her 19 times in the neck, back and chest, severing her spine and causing catastrophic injuries. McNally was taken to a local area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Assistant District Attorney Gabriel J. Reale told the court on Friday that Pieciak had been under the influence of cocaine and alcohol during the attack, though he did not raise intoxication as a legal defence.
After stabbing McNally, he slashed his own throat and confronted responding officers while holding two knives in what prosecutors described as an attempt at suicide by cop. Police disarmed him safely after a patron had intervened to prevent him from fleeing.
Pieciak remained in medical care for several days before being charged days later.
‘Weak, pathetic coward’
McNally’s family watched the sentencing via video link from Ireland as Assistant District Attorney Reale read a victim-impact statement written on behalf of her parents, Dorie O’Connor and Dennis McNally, and the extended family.
In the statement, her parents wrote that Sarah had been their pride and joy for 41 years, and that her death had “shattered every single life she touched.” They described the close bond she shared with her father calling her the “Lisa Marie to his Elvis” and the deep, sister-like relationship with her mother.
They recalled Sarah as their first niece and granddaughter, a bubbly, adventurous child who grew into a warm, confident woman, admired for her friendliness, charm, and kind-hearted nature. “Sarah lit up any room she walked into,” the family wrote. “She was captivating, confident and charming, and she should still be here with us. You have taken her light from us all.”
The letter detailed the anguish of replaying her final moments and the profound grief left in her absence. “No woman should ever lose her life because she wants to leave a relationship,” the family wrote. “Mr Pieciak thought he had the right to take the life of a woman rather than walk away and leave her. He made a choice that day and he chose to be a weak, pathetic coward.”
They acknowledged the trauma experienced by witnesses of the attack and thanked the prosecution team, particularly Reale, for ensuring Sarah’s voice and the family’s voices were heard throughout the process. “While no sentence will ever bring Sarah back to us, we hope with this verdict we can find some closure,” they wrote.
Pieciak, represented by Garnett H. Sullivan, addressed the court briefly prior to his sentencing, speaking quietly with his head down.
“I think about Sarah every day, every night,” he said. “I have no answers. Maybe it’s too early, but I hope one day you can forgive me.”
The 37-year-old is being held at nearby Rikers Island before being transferred to an upstate New York prison to serve out his sentence.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz described the attack as brutal and unprovoked, saying it caused profound grief for McNally’s family, friends, and colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic. She expressed hope that Pieciak’s sentence would provide at least a measure of solace as her loved ones continue to cope with the tragedy.
‘She wanted to go home’
Inside the courtroom, Friday was a former regular at the now-closed Ceili House in Maspeth who showed up in support of Sarah.
Julita Z., 32, who had been a frequent patron before she became pregnant around the time of the murder, said that McNally was a familiar and welcoming presence behind the bar for close to a decade. “She knew your drink, she knew the gossip you wanted to hear,” Julita said. “She was just fun. She got excited when she saw you walk in.”
“That’s what the bar is for, sharing stories, having a laugh. That’s what Sarah gave to everyone,” she added.
The woman said she had not been at the pub on the night of McNally’s murder but recalled hearing from friends that the bartender had expressed fears about her on-again, off-again relationship with Pieciak and her desire to return to Ireland. “She wanted to do what’s right for her,” Julita said.
“She told a friend she would rather set up a cardboard box in the street than stay in that relationship. She wanted to go home,” she added.
The attack, Julita said, had a profound effect on the local community. “The first few weeks, nobody wanted to step foot in the bar,” she said. “You would walk in, and all you could think about was what happened to Sarah. It went from a light, happy place to dark instantly.”
She described Pieciak as largely irrelevant in the bar scene and said their relationship appeared “toxic” and possessive. “Nobody should ever have to experience or witness something so evil,” she said, reflecting on the impact of the attack on patrons and the neighbourhood.
