Dublin rocker recovers after Queens stabbing

By Patrick Markey

A Dublin punk rock musician stabbed during an early morning scuffle in Queens is recovering at home as detectives continue their search for the three men who attacked him and his girlfriend outside their apartment.

Doctors at Elmhurst Hospital removed 52 staple stitches from Dubliner Gary Keogh’s abdomen on Monday before allowing him to return to his Woodside home where he was stabbed a week ago.

Keogh, the bass guitarist with punk rock band Jones Crusher, underwent four hours of surgery after the early morning attack. Doctors repaired puncture damage to Keogh’s intestines during surgery and he is still on a restricted diet. But with a little humor, the musician is making a swift recovery.

"I’m feeling a lot better now. They took the 52 staples out and I’ve a nice design on my stomach now," Keogh said. "I had a pint of Guinness yesterday, and that went down pretty well."

Police said Keogh was stabbed once in the stomach at around 4:50 a.m. last Monday on 61st Street and 40th Avenue near the popular strip of Irish pubs and bars.

Keogh and his female companion, Carol Barnes, got into a scuffle with the three Hispanic men after they complained about the Irish couple being drunk and making too much noise, police said.

The couple tried to get into their doorway, but found themselves trapped in the porch. One of the men struck Barnes, reached toward Keogh and then fled the scene, he said.

"I felt like he pushed me once and then they ran off. I lifted up my shirt and saw blood spurting out," Keogh said. "The next thing I know I’m in surgery."

Detectives are still investigating the attack and interviewed Keogh over the weekend. No arrests have been made and no weapon was recovered, police said. No description was available of the suspects.

Keogh performed with the techno group Spacehopper before coming to the United States. He joined the three-man band Jones Crusher about a year ago performing in the Long Island punk scene.

Keogh said he had been scheduled to begin cutting an album with the punk band just before the attack. With doctors suggesting at least a month recovery, those plans are now on hold.

A benefit concert will be held at Acme Underground on Manhattan’s Great Jones Street on Sunday, October 15. Concert takings will go toward helping defray Keogh’s medical costs.