Jig, A Dorian, traditional Irish
Also know as: Sleive Russell
TrailJams Tune of the Week: April 6, 2026; May 31, 2026
A traditional Irish jig with the strength of stone and the shadows of a forest path.
The tune takes its name from Slieve Rushen — also known as Slieve Russell or Sliabh Russell — a broad, low mountain that rises along the border of County Cavan and County Fermanagh. The Irish name is commonly explained as “mountain of the little wood,” a fitting image for a tune that feels both sturdy and a little mysterious.
The illustration gives the mountain a slightly heightened, storybook presence. In reality, Slieve Rushen is wide and rounded rather than steep. Its limestone base, sandstone and shale layers, peat, conifer woods, grazing fields, and old stone walls all belong to the rough upland character of the Cavan–Fermanagh border country.
Recordings
- Video – Patrick Madden and Friends: Top of Cork Road or Father O’Flynn – Sliabh Russell – The Hag with the Money From the album Sounds of St Andrews. (Sliabh Russell starts at time 1:29 in this recording.)
- Video – McCormick & Vanorny: Sliabh Russell / Fraher’s Jig / Jim Ward’s Favorite – from the album In the Tap Room (Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA)
- Video – William Coulter & Friends: Sliabh Russel / Come West Along The Road – from the album Celtic Sessions (Alasdair Fraser, Paul Machlis, Barry Phillips, Martin Hayes, Lars Johannesson, Todd Denman, Theo Paige, Seamus Egan, Chris Caswell, Neal Hellman, Shelley Phillips, William Coulter)
Sheet Music
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.
Play-Along Tracks
Sets
Examples of sets that include this tune.
- Hag on the Mountain Jig Set: Have a Drink with Me (G) / Sliabh Russell (A Dorian) / The Hag with the Money (D)
- Tar & Buttermilk Jig Set: Tar Road to Sligo / Sliabh Russell / Munster Buttermilk
- Top of Cork Road (Father O’Flynn) / Sliabh Russell / The Hag with the Money
- Sliabh Russell / Fraher’s Jig / Jim Ward’s Favorite
- Sliabh Russell / Come West along the Road
References and Resources
For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.
- More Recordings
- Video – Natalie Padilla, Blayne Chastain & Peter Romero: Jigs: Tar Road to Sligo / Sliabh Russell / Munster Buttermilk – from the album Fiddle and Flute : Irish Traditional Music. (Note: the tunes in this recording are pitched a semitone higher than standard tuning.)
- Video – Lunasa: The Butlers Of Glen Avenue/Sliabh Russell/Cathal McConnell’s – from the album Otherworld. (Sliabh Russel starts at time 1:30 in this recording.)
- Video – McCormick & Vanorny: Sliabh Russell / Fraher’s Jig / Jim Ward’s Favorite – from the album In the Tap Room (Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA)
- Video – Mary Bergin: Sliabh Russell / Kitty’s Rambles / Pádraig O’Keefe’s – from the album Feadóga Stáin 2
- Video – Shane Farrell: Sliabh Russell Jig – solo tenor banjo
- Video – Charles Monod (Tunes from Doolin): Sliabh Russell (Jig) | Irish Music Tunes on Concertina – solo concertina
- Books
- Book – CCE Kingston, Harp of Tara: Kingston Irish Slow Session Tune Book – free downloadable book (PDF file)
- Book & Audio – Stephen Ducke: Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes
- Book & audio – Grey Larsen: 300 Gems of Irish Music for All Instruments
- Lessons
- Lesson – Shannon Heaton: Sliabh Russell [Jig in A Min] – Tune of the Month with Shannon Heaton – video lesson taught phrase-by-phrase by Shannon Heaton (flute) and Matt Heaton (guitar). With attention to guitar chord choices, getting away from basic full chords that “crowd the tune”
- Lesson – Hatao (hatao’s Irish tune of the day): 071 Sliabh Russell (Double Jig, A Dorian) – video with on-screen sheet music and chords. Tune is played on flute.
- Additional Resources
- Article – Jonathan Lay (TrailJams): Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell
- Article – Wikipedia: Slieve Rushen – a brief article about the mountain for which the tune Sliabh Russell is named
- Web page – The Session: Sliabh Russell (jig) – crowdsourced sheet music, comments and more
- Web page – irishtune.info: Sliabh Russell – archival information about the tune, curated by Alan Ng