It may be the second St. Patrick’s Day without celebrations at Riley’s Pour House, but rest assured plans are still underway to rebuild the iconic Irish pub in Carnegie.
“It’s not a question of IF. It’s we WILL,” owner Joe Riley emphasized.
The Pour House was a popular gathering spot for over 40 years, until it was destroyed by a devastating kitchen fire on Nov. 14, 2024. A gravel lot sits in its place, for now.
Plans by Sewickley architectural firm Studio St. Germain to design a new pub from the ground up are being tweaked to reflect rising replacement costs.
Meantime, the Pittsburgh Pirates are including Riley’s in their Irish Heritage Night promotion. Each special ticket for the May 27 game as the Pirates face the Chicago Cubs includes a co-branded Irish and Pirates-themed jersey. As an added bonus, ticketholders receive $10 in loaded value to use on concessions or at the team store. A portion of every ticket purchased will help support the rebuilding of Riley’s Pour House.
“We’re really excited to be included and look forward to it,” Riley said.
It’s not the first time community members have reached out to support the Pour House.
“We’ve been so blessed,” Riley pointed out.
More than 1,600 meals were served and around $50,000 was raised for displaced Riley’s employees at a spaghetti dinner in Carnegie in December 2024.
The Washington Wild Things hosted an Irish-themed baseball game in June 2025 and raised $7,000 to benefit Riley’s reconstruction.
In August 2025, the “Raise a Glass to Rebuild Riley’s Pour House” event was held at the Grand Hall at the Priory on the North Side, and more than 20 entertainers performed for over 750 people. The event grossed more than $75,000, money held by the Friends of Riley’s Pour House and accounted for on the Riley’s Rebuild website.
“The one thing I’ll reiterate is that all along the focus of my partners and me has been on rebuilding, not on fundraising,” Riley said. “When these opportunities have come, it’s been a case of people presenting it to us and asking us to be involved, and, of course, you’re flattered when that occurs.”
In a Facebook post, Riley’s Pour House notes that it has been working nonstop since the fire to begin rebuilding the beloved pub.
“But the reality is the price of rebuilding (materials, code upgrades, equipment and labor) is very expensive and significantly higher than our insurance settlement, especially after repayment of our mortgage, taxes and other expenses,” the social media post reads.
“Furthermore, lenders are tightening standards for the food-service sector. That combination has prevented us from moving as quickly as we all had wanted. But we have not given up. And we feel we are close on all fronts: finalizing insurance, redrawing plans and securing financing.”
Riley and co-owners Eric Kraemer and Dan Phillips know all too well the sense of urgency to rebuild the Pour House. When Riley ran into one of the pub’s regular customers recently, she told him, “I want to be there for the grand reopening. You better hurry up because I’m going to be 91.” Talk about pressure!
To purchase special tickets to the Pittsburgh Pirates Irish Heritage Night, benefiting Riley’s Pour House, click here.
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