Tar Road to Sligo

Jig, D, traditional Irish
Also known as The Coach Road To Sligo

Tar Road to Sligo (image of an Irish road, paved with asphalt, winding through a hilly landscape). TrailJams Tune of the Week. Play it together March 30, 2025. Illustration copyright 2025 Jonathan Lay. trailjams.org

Winding and strong, “Tar Road to Sligo” is a traditional Irish jig named for a good road. A “tar road,” or “tarmac road” is a road that is paved with crushed rock bound together with tar.

Recordings

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. The version here is the basic tune, from a variety of sources, but especially from The Bothy Band’s 1975 album. Rhythm players watch out — the tune is in D major, but the opening chord is B minor.

Sheet music with chords for The Tar Road to Sligo, traditional Irish jig in D major. Arrangement by Jonathan Lay. trailjams.org

Play-along Tracks

Very slow tempo, 50bpm
Slow tempo 70bpm
Moderate tempo 90bpm

TrailJams Tune Camp (image: sketch of fiddle)

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Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

(TrailJams) Tar & Buttermilk Jig Set: Tar Road to Sligo (image of winding road) / Sliabh Russell (image of a mountain, with a lake in the foreground)/ Munster Buttermilk (image bordered with holly leaves). Illustration copyright 2025 Jonathan Lay. trailjams.org
Tar & Buttermilk Jig Set

References and Resources

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