Suspicion surrounds death of Bronx man

By Stephen McKinley and Pierce O’Reilly

An Irish laborer was found dead in suspicious circumstances in the early hours of Monday, July 2, in his room in the Riverdale section of the Bronx.

Danny Kennelly, 32, was from County Cork, and had been in the United States since the early 1990s. He was a member of the Cement and Concrete Workers’ Union, Local 18A.

Kennelly, who lived on 231st Street and Broadway, was found dead on Monday afternoon when a friend went to see why he hadn’t been at Gaelic Park the previous day. Kennelly, who lived in New York for the last seven years, was an avid GAA fan. When he wasn’t seen at the early-morning GAA games broadcast in the local bars on Sunday and later at Gaelic Park that same afternoon, the alarm was raised.

Police investigating the incident questioned several bar owners and locals about Kennelly’s last movements.

Kennelly was last spotted leaving the Liffey Bar on Broadway and later the Harp Bar in the same district on Saturday night, June 30.

"Danny was well-known in the neighborhood," bar owner Mags Dineen said. "He loved his GAA and would never miss a Sunday at Gaelic Park."

Kennelly had not returned to Ireland since he arrived in New York, a source told the Echo.

"He was a quiet type of fellow who stayed to himself a lot," Dineen said.

His remains were flew to Ireland on Thursday for burial on Saturday, July 7, in Newmarket, Co. Cork.

Kennelly is survived by his mother, his brother T.J., who lives in the Woodlawn section of the Bronx, a sister in Australia, as well as two sisters in Ireland.

A memorial Mass will be held later this month in Riverdale, when Kennelly’s brother and friends return from Ireland.