Irish woman dies after New York bar stabbing

The stabbing happened in an Irish bar in Queens on Saturday evening

An Irish woman has died after she was stabbed in a bar in New York City, police have said.

She was Sarah McNally, aged 41, who was originally from County Longford but living in Flushing, Queens.

The incident happened at The Céilí House Bar in Maspeth, Queens, at about 18:30 local time on Saturday.

It is understood Ms McNally was working in the bar when a male attacker stabbed her in the neck before stabbing himself in the back and neck.

Ms McNally and the man were transported by ambulance to Elmhurst Hospital in a critical condition.

She was later pronounced dead by hospital staff.

Police sources have said the incident was domestic in nature, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.

A New York Police Department spokesperson said the investigation remained ongoing.

Longford community 'in a state of shock'

Longford councillor Martin Monaghan told BBC's Evening Extra programme that Ms McNally was a "beautiful young girl" who was well known in the town before leaving for the US.

He said she was the only daughter of a well-respected family and had been living in New York for about 10 years.

The "very tight-knit community" of Longford town "is numb at the minute, it's in a state of shock", he said.

The Irish community in New York are also said to be struggling with the news.

"We have a huge Longford base in Queens and New York in general, [everybody is] at a loss at the minute that a young soul has been taken from us," Mr Monaghan added.

It is expected a commemoration service will be held in Longford in the next few days to "bring Sarah's life to the fore".

Mr Monaghan said his thoughts and prayers were with her parents and friends and he has requested privacy for them at this time.

"It's very, very tough to lose any loved one but to lose a loved one who is so far from home really does hurt," the Fianna Fáil councillor added.