The trees are still budding, the grass just beginning to wake, but Pittsburgh is already marching into green (pun intended!). Banners unfurl, Irish flags flutter from storefronts, and on March 15, the city’s streets will flood with shamrock-clad revelers for a parade that has wound through Liberty Avenue for over 150 years. The first flush of spring belongs to the Irish.
“St. Patrick’s Day, to me, is the day that other non-Irish individuals, communities recognize us,” Jim Lamb, president of the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh, tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “We get to expose them to our culture, our achievements, our challenges. But when the month of March passes, we are still Irish Americans. We continue to advocate for our community, our ancestral land. We continue to practice our faith, our culture by playing sports, supporting dance schools, celebrating the great Irish writers, and enjoying the music throughout the year.”
The Irish in Pittsburgh
The Irish have shaped Pittsburgh since the early 19th century, arriving in search of opportunity and refuge.
“Irish culture is best understood through a sense and acknowledgment of Ireland’s many invasions,” says Lamb. “Celts, Vikings, Normans, English — they came as conquerors, and in time, they became as Irish as the Irish themselves.”
The same pattern repeated itself in America, though the road was far from easy. The first major wave of Irish immigrants to Pittsburgh arrived in the 1820s, drawn by work on the Pennsylvania Canal. These were mostly young, Catholic laborers, taking on the brutal, backbreaking work of digging waterways and laying the foundations of what would become one of America’s great industrial cities.
Then came An Gorta Mór — the Great Hunger of 1845 to 1852 — which sent a desperate wave of Irish families across the Atlantic. “During and after the starvation of Ireland, millions of Irish migrated to the U.S. Thousands of those came to Pittsburgh,” Lamb says. “Most were illiterate. The Catholic Church opened many parish schools. Irish parents labored. But their children learned. And the Irish ascended quickly.”
That rise was hard-won. In the mid-19th century, Irish immigrants faced fierce hostility from nativist groups who saw them as a threat to American jobs and culture. Anti-Irish and anti-Catholic sentiment ran high, fueled by political factions like the Know-Nothings, who sought to bar Irish Catholics from public office.
Yet, the Irish persisted. By the early 20th century, they had risen to positions of power in city government, labor unions, and business. And they never forgot where they came from.
Even today, Pittsburgh’s Irish community remains connected to struggles back home. “It is important to recognize the organizations that advocate for the people of Ireland still oppressed,” Lamb says. “The question about the future of the six counties in the north of Ireland under British rule remains unanswered. This attention among Pittsburgh groups is part of what binds the Irish community. It always has.”
St. Patrick’s Day: More Than Just a Party
St. Patrick’s Day began as a religious feast honoring Ireland’s patron saint, a fifth-century missionary credited with spreading Christianity across the island. Carried across the Atlantic by Irish immigrants, what was once a quiet day of reflection in Ireland became, in cities like Pittsburgh, a full-throttle display of Irish pride, blending tradition with spectacle in a way only diaspora communities can.
Pittsburgh gets a lot right about St. Patrick’s Day: from its historic parade and deep-rooted Irish music to its refusal to let the holiday be just another bar crawl. But stereotypes persist.
“My only complaint is with retailers who push the drunken Irish image,” Lamb says. “The tacky T-shirts, the slogans. It’s awful.”
Lamb is quick to point out that Ireland has one of the highest per capita rates of non-drinkers in Europe. “We need to stop tagging drunkenness to Irishness,” he says.
But when done right, the day is a masterclass in Irish culture. “Music is key,” Lamb insists. “Jigs and reels for dancing, street ballads about the Troubles, even modern acts like U2 or The Cranberries, it all tells the story of Ireland.”
There’s all the delicious food, too. Ham and cabbage is a solid staple, though in Ireland, it’s traditionally made with a fattier Irish bacon. Corned beef, an Irish-American twist, became a favorite among immigrants. “I absolutely love Irish soda bread with tea this time of year,” Lamb says. “In Ireland, they’d use currants instead of raisins.”
“I stay connected with my Irish roots by celebrating the culture year-round,” Mairin Petrone, Executive Director and President of the Pittsburgh Irish Festival, tells City Paper. “I love listening to Irish music, learning about Irish history, eating traditional Irish food, and helping others do the same.”
The Pittsburgh Irish Festival’s Irish Education & Outreach Program hosts concerts, workshops, school assemblies, and more throughout the year to bring Irish culture and traditions to as many people as possible, beyond St Patrick’s Day.
The traditions endure, but preserving them can be difficult. “The lack of Irish immigrants presents a big challenge,” Lamb says. “We need to figure out how to attract Irish immigrants to Pittsburgh, like our local leaders did 150 years ago, and 100 years ago, and 50 years ago. We need another wave.”
One solution? Strengthening ties between Ireland and Pittsburgh. “We should continue to advocate for a direct flight from Ireland to Pittsburgh. A direct flight generates six times the economic activity between two regions that currently have to rely on connecting flights.” Lamb says.
The Irish Cultural Hubs of Pittsburgh
Want to step into an Irish pub without looking like a tourist? First, make sure the pub itself passes the test. “An Irish pub must have Guinness on tap,” Lamb says, and should have a selection of Irish whiskeys. The staff should make you feel like you don’t want to leave. And there should be live Irish music.”
If you’re heading to an Irish pub for the first time this St. Patrick’s Day, there’s a right way to do it. Order a Guinness, and have patience. A proper pint is a ritual. First, the tulip-shaped pint is tilted at exactly 45 degrees as the stout flows in slow and steady. At three-quarters full, the tap is cut off, and the pint rests. Only after the creamy head forms is it topped off with a slow, straight pour.
And of course, there’s good Irish whiskey, because, as the saying goes, ‘What butter and whiskey won’t cure, there’s no cure for.’
There are a few don’ts too. Call it Paddy’s Day, not St. Patty’s — or better yet, Lá Fhéile Pádraig. Also, don’t expect green beer. That’s an American gimmick. And whatever you do, don’t yell for your drink. “If you scream at the bartender, you’ll probably just wait longer,” Lamb says.
Ready to celebrate? Here’s how and where to have the best St. Patrick’s Day in Pittsburgh.
This article appears in Mar 5-11, 2025.
