The death of an elderly Mayo man in Queens earlier this month has sparked a promise from Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin to ensure the Irish government does its best to keep in contact with elderly citizens living abroad.

Martin made the commitment during a phone call to New York activist Ciaran Staunton to see what could be done for older Irish who are often left alone.

The sad death of Mayoman Anthony Gallagher, 72, has raised the issue of elderly Irish living alone, and Martin has pledged to take action to support efforts to identify such people, said Staunton.

Gallagher's body was discovered in his apartment building on 42nd Street in Sunnyside on Thursday, December 11 after the superintendent of the building reported not seeing him in a few days.

Gallagher lay dead in his own apartment for several days after what family believes was a heart attack.

"One of our own died in our midst and we didn't even know it," said Staunton.

Staunton, vice-chairman of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform and owner of O'Neill's bar and restaurant in Manhattan, said that Gallagher was always sending money back to Co. Mayo.

Staunton suggested to friends of Gallagher's on Thursday at the funeral Mass that people and organizations need to step up to the plate and get something done to prevent a tragic death like Gallagher's from happening again.

Staunton suggested organizations that are annually sending money back to Ireland should keep 10% of it in the U.S. and reinvest it back into the community to support various programs, including a "badly needed" elderly program in Queens and all over.

"A few dollars should come back from Ireland. Some $900 million of Irish tax payers money goes overseas, and some of that money should go back to those who sent money home when it was needed," said Staunton.

Meanwhile, over 30 friends of Gallagher gathered at the New York Irish Center in Queens on Thursday, December 18 to bid a sad farewell to a man who was well liked in the Irish community.

According to city officials, Gallagher's body was discovered by firefighters after the superintendent of 41-42 42nd Street in Queens called 911 stating he had not seen the tenant for several days.

Father Colm Campbell told a hushed crowd at the center that unlike Jesus, who had his mother and aunt with him when he died, "Tony did not have the privilege Christ had. He did not have loved ones with him at his time of need."

Campbell said that although, no one person was responsible for Gallagher's passing, the community collectively was guilty.

Suggesting a sit down as a community to come up with a solution, Campbell's ideas were warmly welcomed by members of the congregation.

Vincent Kehoe, a friend of Gallagher's, said because his Mayo friend also owned a home in the Catskill Mountains, neighbors and friends "wouldn't think anything of not seeing him for weeks."

"You could be missing for one month and no one would know. You should have someone call you once a day, or a neighbor to check in on you every other day," he said.

Another Mayo man, Joe McGowan, only knew Gallagher from the neighborhood, but said he feels an awful sadness after what happened his fellow county man.

McGowan, once a super of a building in Manhattan, feels like Kehoe, and agrees that some sort of buddy system should be put in place. "It's important to have someone in contact at all times," he said.