PITTSBURGH —
The Pittsburgh Irish Festival needs donations to continue the longstanding tradition, organizers said.
From its display of music and art to its selection of cultural cuisine – the Pittsburgh Irish Festival has given a platform to artists, performers and small business owners for 35 years.
“It’s like the anchor show, or the anchor festival for me, as far as what I do with my business,” artist Tim Meyer told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 Reporter Jordan Cioppa.
Meyer owns a clothing line called Fireball Designs. He said his business depends on the festival, as he has sold his products there since 2001.
“It’s been a staple on my calendar year, every year. I can count on it being there,” Meyer said.
But for the first time in the event’s history, organizers said the future of the Pittsburgh Irish Festival is not guaranteed, due to financial struggles.
This week, organizers launched a $200,000 fundraising campaign dubbed “Keep the Tradition Alive.”
“We have had a kind of a series of unfortunate events, in the last decade, that have put pretty significant financial strain on our festival,” said Mairin Petrone, the executive director and president of the Irish Partnership of Pittsburgh.
The festival was hit by a devastating flood in 2018, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cost of relocating the event twice, in addition to rising operational expenses, led to even more challenges.
“And then this past year, just last month, we had a devastating thunderstorm that knocked out about eight hours of our most important hours of our festival,” Petrone said.
Grammy-winning fiddler Eileen Ivers, a longtime performer at the festival, said she was on stage with her band when the storm cleared out the crowd.
“Usually Saturday evening is flooded with people enjoying being together and sharing a music, song and dance,” Ivers said. “So, to see it firsthand, it was heart-wrenching.”
The goal is to raise money through donations, upcoming events, and raffles to ensure the festival is around for generations to come.
“Artists love the festival. Festival on-goers, they love it. And just whatever we can all do to help out, we are there,” Ivers said.
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