Grand Marshal

The Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee announced that The Irish Society for Education and Charity, Inc. has named J. Mac McCafferty the 2025 Parade Grand Marshal. The Irish Society oversees the parade, which will take place in Downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 15th, 2025, beginning at 10 a.m., rain, snow, or shine.

Born in the Carrick neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Jeff “Mac” McCafferty was raised by Alberta and Harry McCafferty amongst brothers Harry, Tommy, and Jamie, and sister Kathleen. Despite his surname, Mac jokes that he did not know of his Irish heritage until he was in his thirties.
Following his ancestral discovery, Mac joined the board at the Irish Centre of Pittsburgh. Over his 35-year tenure, he served as Vice President and Treasurer. During his time at the Irish Centre, Mac helped support traditions for the Pittsburgh Irish community including Irish Dance, music, and culture. The Irish Centre, in turn, helped Mac find his love of the Irish language, which he continues to pursue to this day.

Mac has also served as a dedicated member of the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee for over 30 years, filling the prominent roles of both Chief Marshal and Chairman. During his tenure as Chairman, he was committed to ensuring the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade remained an exciting family-friendly event and worked tirelessly to bring together new and recurring participants, performers, and experiences to cater to all who want to celebrate the day where everyone in Pittsburgh is Irish. Additionally, Mac led the parade committee through numerous situations, including the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, with a commitment to safety while still staying true to the overall goal of the parade – to honor St. Patrick. Although he recognizes that none is as great as the position of Grand Marshal, he is most proud of his contribution of installing the parade’s mascot – Finn, the Irish Wolfhound – even though, as he jokes, his vote was for a different native Irish animal – the puffin.

In addition to his dedication to the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee and the Irish Centre of Pittsburgh, Mac has been involved in numerous other organizations in the Pittsburgh Irish community. Mac is a member of the Knights of Equity and the Ancient Order of Hibernians – both Catholic fraternal associations that work toward the preservation and representation of Irish culture within America and internationally. He is also on the Years of Remembrance Committee,
which continues to call attention to the Great Famine and its effects that are still felt today in Ireland, as well as the Irish American Unity Conference, which works toward finding unity and peace in Ireland.

When he was not engaging in fulfilling Irish commitments, Mac taught within the Pittsburgh Public School District as a history teacher at CAPA High School. Simultaneously, he coached American football at varying levels and positions. These titles encouraged him to inspire athletes in the Pittsburgh Gaelic Athletic Association, where he served a short term as team trainer for the Banshees, Pittsburgh’s women’s Gaelic Football club.

Mac instilled a deep love and appreciation for the Irish in his family, who embrace both Irish culture itself and his love of it. His wife, Janet, has supported his passion of making Pittsburgh more Irish as a priority and has marched alongside Mac in many parades. His daughters, Shannon and Kaitlin, participated in Irish dancing growing up, with Shannon, who was Miss Smiling Irish Eyes in 2002, passing that tradition of dancing down to her own four children. Kaitlin played for the Banshees in high school and currently plays for the Na Laochra, Pittsburgh’s camogie team, in addition to joining the parade committee. Mac would be remiss if we did not also mention his beloved weizsla dogs; Boru, named after the High King of Ireland, and Oisin, named after one of Ireland’s greatest poets.

Mac would like all to know how grateful he is for the opportunity to serve as this year’s Grand Marshal. It was never his goal to reach this feat, but only to foster and spread Irish culture throughout Pittsburgh. He thanks the Parade Committee in all of their hard work and commitment. Most importantly, Mac hopes the parade continues to grow Pittsburgh’s Irish pride and participation.

The Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee, as well as the Irish Society for Education and Charity, are beyond grateful for the decades of service to the Pittsburgh Irish community that Mac McCafferty has given and feel he is the exemplary choice for Grand Marshal of the 2025 Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade.