Harrison City woman serves as 'Miss Smiling Irish Eyes' as Pittsburgh cancels annual parade
A Penn-Trafford graduate was looking forward to walking in the annual Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade as Miss Smiling Irish Eyes, but officials canceled Saturday’s event as a precaution for the spreading coronavirus.
“I am disappointed, but I know that the city and the (St. Patrick’s Day Parade) committee is looking out for the best interests of everybody,” said Stephanie O’Donnell, 19, of Harrison City in Penn Township.
Like many others, O’Donnell said she learned Wednesday that the parade had been canceled. A crowning ceremony for O’Donnell and her court — Courtney McGinley of Pittsburgh and Kelly Bench of McMurray — still is scheduled for Friday in Pittsburgh, she said.
“I’m still honored to receive the award and represent the city of Pittsburgh this week,” said O’Donnell, a Slippery Rock University freshman who was recognized this week by Pittsburgh City Council and Allegheny County Council. “I was very excited and humbled to win the award.”
Her family has strong ties to the region’s Irish community and they instilled a strong sense of Irish pride in her. O’Donnell’s great-grandparents hail from County Kerry and County Galway.
“I knew (Miss Smiling Irish Eyes) was such an honor,” O’Donnell said. “Growing up, I always looked up to the older girls ahead of me who had this award. It’s so beautiful to see how they’re representing the city of Pittsburgh.”
Her father, Kevin O’Donnell, a state constable, is a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic fraternal organization, whose members must be born in Ireland or be of Irish descent. He also is chairman of the region’s Freedom For All Ireland division, which seeks “complete and absolute independence, promoting peace with justice and unity for all Ireland,” according to its website.
Her mother, Kathleen, is a member of Ladies of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and volunteers with the Hibernian Hunger Project. O’Donnell said she has joined her family in the Hibernian Hunger Project, which has distributed food to the needy in Pittsburgh.
O’Donnell studies exercise science and plays volleyball at Slippery Rock. With her athletic background, she wants to be a physical therapist.
She has volunteered at St. Barbara’s Catholic Church in Harrison City, where she has served as an altar server. O’Donnell was also a member of Crusades for Christ.
“My faith has always been strong and it’s important to be a part of the church community,” O’Donnell said.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee said O’Donnell has shown a special passion for helping others, particularly the youth in her community. She was a volunteer with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s sensory-friendly concert, as well as a Special Olympics volunteer at Slippery Rock.
She was part of the Penn Trafford High School Community Action Program and the Students Against Destructive Decisions program. She organized and planned a Big Buddy Program at Penn Trafford, which encourages positive interactions between elementary school students and high schoolers.
Rounding out the Miss Smiling Irish Eyes 2020 Court are McGinley and Bench.
McGinley is a student at Pittsburgh Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill. She is the daughter of James and Kelli McGinley, members of Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Ladies of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
McGinley founded the Allderdice Initiative, organized a toy drive for UPMC Children’s Hospital and spent time during the holiday season making care packages for the homeless.
Bench is a freshman at Penn State University, where she is studying chemical engineering. A 2019 graduate of Seton LaSalle High School, she is the daughter of Kathleen and Michael Bench.
Bench, a member of St. Benedict the Abbot parish, was a longtime member of the Bell School of Irish Dance, and has continued her Irish dancing with the Rince na Leon Irish dance club at Penn State.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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