February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Kieran Gallagher, 25, was riding his motorcycle after 10 p.m. when he struck a gypsy cab that made a sudden u-turn.
He was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital from massive head injuries, according to his friend and co-worker, Stephen Gallanagh.
Gallagher, remembered by his friends as popular and outgoing, was from Warrenpoint, Co. Down, and worked as a plumber.
“He was riding his motorbike up 69th Street,” Gallanagh said. “The taxi made a u-turn. He didn’t have a chance.”
Police are investigating the incident.
“The whole of Woodside is really ripped up,” said Gallanagh. “He was a real character, he was the craic.”
Gallagher leaves behind his parents and a sister in Co. Down. His girlfriend is from Australia.
A wake was held at Lynch’s Funeral Home on Friday and a service was held at St Sebastian’s Church on Saturday. The body was flown home for burial.
Jim Keane, Gallagher’s boss said that he “was a very good worker, a very hard worker.”
“He liked to enjoy life, he was real outgoing. He lived for going out and for his motorbike.”
Gallanagh said that friends of Gallagher hoped to hold a benefit for his family in December.