Many Places To Celebrate St. Patrick's Day In Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, PA — St. Patrick’s Day is on a Friday this year. Entertainment districts around town will be swimming in Kelly green, and perhaps flashing red and blue lights if people don’t behave themselves.

And devout Catholics may have to consult their parish priest before they dig into a plate of corned beef and cabbage.

Pittsburgh already had its big St. Patrick's Day parade last week, but that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of revelry around the city. Some of the places in and around Pittsburgh to celebrate the March 17 holiday are:

• Mullaney's Harp & Fiddle, 2329 Penn Ave., Strip District.

• Cork Harbour Pub, 181 43rd St., Lawrenceville.

• McFadden's, 211 North Shore Drive, North Shore.

• Seib's Pub, 3382 Babcock Boulevard, Ross.

• Riley's Pour House, 215 E. Main St., Carnegie.

• McMinn's Pub & Grille, 3925 Willow Ave., Castle Shannon.

• Murphy's Taproom, 1106 S. Braddock Ave., Regent Square.

Devout Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent, a sacrifice that recognizes Jesus’ death on the cross on a Friday. Catholics in several suburban Chicago towns can eat the traditional fare without guilt, but the Diocese of Chicago is holding firm.

Whether revelers in cities like heavily Catholic Chicago, one of the most St. Patrick-y cities in the country, go all in with the holiday staple corned beef and cabbage could come down to whether they get special dispensation from the diocese.

The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has provided that dispensation.

" Given the great impact which Saint Patrick has made not only on the people of Ireland but especially in our own diocese, I have made the decision to dispense from the obligation of abstaining from meat on Friday, March 17" Bishop David Zubik said in a statement.

"It is my hope that those who choose to avail themselves of the dispensation may do so in a spirit that reflects this holy season. Might I suggest that those who take advantage of the dispensation
consider some additional act of Lenten discipline on that day."

For Catholics who still want to play by the rules, there are plenty of fish fries around town. Here's Patch's 2023 Fish Fry guide.