Rolling in the Ryegrass

Reel, D, traditional Irish
Also known as The Shannon Breeze

Rolling in the Ryegrass. Traditional Irish Reel. TrailJams Tune of the Week. Play it together April 3, 2022.
trailjams.org copyright 2022 Jonathan Lay.

This is one of those tunes that is easy to play, sounds good, and comes up in sessions. As a single reel it is short, with only four measures (repeated) in the A and B parts of the tune.

Recordings

Dots (Music Notation)

As always for traditional tunes, the musical notation and chords do not indicate the “right” way to play the tune, but are a useful reference.

Sheet music and chords for Rolling in the Ryegrass (The Shannon Breeze). Traditional Irish reel. Key of D major. Arranged by Jonathan Lay. trailjams.org

Play from the Dots
Slow tempo 65bpm
Moderate tempo 85bpm

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

  • Tulla Reel Set: Rolling in the Ryegrass / Humors of Tulla
  • Rolling in the Ryegrass / The Killavil Fancy
  • Rolling in the Ryegrass / Johnny When you Die / Anything for John Joe
  • The Salamanca / Rolling in the Ryegrass

References and Resources

For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.