The Carrie Blast Furnaces in Swissvale turned green Sunday as several hundreds packed the historic site for the 34th annual Pittsburgh Irish Festival.

The three-day event, which began Friday, has grown into one of Pittsburgh’s signature cultural festivals, drawing thousands each year with its mix of live performances, educational lectures, imported Irish goods and family-friendly activities.

Before the air was filled with the sounds of bagpipes and fiddles, Sunday’s events began with a morning Irish Mass at the Celtic Spirit Stage, near the main entrance.

“I think it’s very fitting that it is a feature of this Irish festival because the Catholic faith and Mass were very important to the people of Ireland,” said the Rev. John Fogarty, who led Sunday’s Mass. “Over many, many centuries,

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