PITTSBURGH -- It's a Pittsburgh tradition anticipated by folks of Irish descent across the city: the crowning of Miss Smiling Irish Eyes in advance of the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Meghan Schiller, of the South Hills, got the honors during a ceremony at the downtown Rivers Club on Friday afternoon.

Schiller, a junior at Carnegie Mellon University, will be involved in ceremonial functions as well as the parade itself on Saturday morning. (See Parade Route)

To be eligible for the contest, Miss Smiling Irish Eyes must be "a single woman between the ages of 17 and 22, of Irish birth or descent, of good moral character, and an active promoter of her Irish ancestry," organizers of the event said in a news release.

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