Originally published: https://www.newyorkupstate.com/syracuse/2015/04/tipperary_hill.html.
Tipperary Hill in Syracuse was settled largely by Irish immigrants, and in the 1920s, they didn’t like the British red sitting atop the Irish green on the stoplight at Tompkins Street and Milton Avenue. Kids threw stones at the light and broke it, prompting a local alderman to ask that the green be put on top. The city obliged, but the state made officials change the light back to red over green to avoid confusing colorblind people per state law.
The stone throwing resumed, and eventually the city changed the colors again. Today, Tipp Hill is home to the nation’s only stoplight that has green over red, just one of its many nods to the area’s Irish roots.
Bars/restaurants
Coleman’s, 100 S Lowell Ave.: Perhaps Syracuse’s consummate Irish pub, Coleman’s boasts a leprechaun door and miniature phone booth and sponsors Green Beer Day. The menu features Irish highlights such as soda bread, shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash are among the Irish menu highlights.
Blarney Stone, 314 Avery Ave.: If you’re looking for a true “neighborhood” bar, this is it. Serving up freshly popped popcorn and outstanding burgers and wings at rock-bottom prices, Blarney Stone is in the middle of Tipp Hill, adorned with its own green-on-top traffic light.
Nibsy’s Pub, 210 Ulster St.: Nibsy’s calls itself Syracuse’s oldest tavern. Established in 1890, it’s got 18 beers on tap, several more in bottles and a wide pub menu.
Morgan’s, 329 Fay Road: Morgan’s is a great bet for finer dining on Tipp Hill, with a menu featuring dishes such as shrimp rosa and prime rib.
Events
Green Beer Sunday: Coleman’s ushers in the St. Patrick’s Day season with Green Beer Sunday each year. A parade kicks off under the famed stoplight and proceeds just a couple of blocks to Coleman’s, where a tanker truck dispenses green beer to the revelers.
St. Patrick’s Day: As midnight nears March 16, a crowd gathers under the green-on-top stoplight, where a rough green shamrock is painted. Restaurants throughout the area feature St. Patrick’s Day specials: corned beef and cabbage, Reubens and strolling bagpipers. St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church hosts a noon Mass.
