Bills stuck to the ceiling at Kells Irish Pub in Portland, Ore., on March 13, 2026. Over the course of the year, patrons of the bar throw money up onto the ceiling as part of a yearly fundraiser for Providence Center for Medically Fragile Children.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Oregonians are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with fun runs, Irish dances, bagpipe performances, even special Irish-themed train rides.
But at Kells Irish Pub in downtown Portland there’s another peculiar tradition that’s lasted for three decades: “green rain.”
Owner Lucille McAleese explains that over the past year, people have been throwing money up onto the ceiling, where it “magically” sticks. She’s not saying how.
“It’s an enigma,” McAleese laughed. “But you can figure it out if you think about it.
“There’s a bill, any kind of bill you decide, and two quarters. And the weight of the quarters has something to do with it. But there’s no magnet involved.”
The wooden ceiling is speckled with tied bills, some for a dollar, others for up to $100.
Across the bar, structural engineer Ed Quesenberry enjoyed happy hour. He called Kells a Portland institution, and said he thinks he’s figured out the money trick.
“I think they somehow wrap a silver dollar in a dollar bill with a thumbtack and throw it up,” Quesenberry said.
Patrons fill the restaurant during the first day of its St. Patrick's Festival.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Apparently the wooden ceiling acts like a bulletin board and the thumbtack allows the money to stick there indefinitely.
“I don’t think it’s strictly an Irish thing,” said Quesenberry. “I’ve seen it in a lot of different restaurants and bars.”
But in this case, the cash hangs around until St. Patrick’s Day and then gets scraped down, hence the “green rain.”
McAleese says Kells matches the amount, and then it’s matched again by another business. Last year it was CARR Subaru. Then all of that money is donated to the Providence Center for Medically Fragile Children.
She isn’t sure how much is up there this year.
“It’s different every year. It could be a couple thousand. It could be $5,000 or $7,000.”
But customers won’t find out until after St. Patrick’s Day, because Kells is generally packed wall-to-wall on that day every year.
“It’s too busy,” McAleese said. “We have to have a group of volunteers who come in. It’s an all-day process to scrape the money off the ceiling.”
The ceiling scraping will happen sometime in April, McAleese estimates.
But over the last 30 years, Providence has received more than $310,000 from Kells and its customers.
Traditionally St. Patrick’s Day has been known as quite the Bacchanalian celebration. But McAleese says people are drinking less nowadays.
“People are a lot more tempered than in years past,” she said. “We sell an outrageous amount of nonalcoholic beverages. I think it’s a good trend.”
For those celebrants who do imbibe, many Oregon cities and agencies are offering free rides home. The Portland Bureau of Transportation has been offering discounts on taxi, Lyft and Uber rides as part of its Safe Ride Home program. Riders just need to download digital coupons.
St. Patrick’s Day honors the patron saint of Ireland. He is credited with bringing Christianity to the country in the fifth century. But over the years the religious feast has evolved into a global celebration of Irish culture, with parades, traditional music, dancing and the ubiquitous green clothing and accessories.
