The Castle

Jig, A Dorian, Irish, composed by Sean Ryan (1919-1985)
Also known as Sean Ryan’s Jig; Ryan’s Jig; Gallagher’s Jig; The Castle Jig
TrailJams Tune of the Week: November 2, 2025

The Castle (Sean Ryan’s Jig) is a graceful and lyrical Irish jig that invites players to settle into its flowing rise-and-fall phrases. The tune was composed by Tipperary fiddler Seán Ryan (1919–1985). Although its composer gave it the title “The Castle,” it is commonly called “Sean Ryan’s Jig.”

Recordings

• Video – Martin Hayes, Kevin Crawford, Dáithí Sproule, Randal Bays: Sean Ryan’s, The Nightingale (Jigs) – from the album Young Irish Musicians Weekend, Vol. 4 2010 (The Center for Irish Music)
• Video – De Danann Medley: Tom Billy’s, Ryan’s Jig, The Sandmount Reel, The Clogher Reel – from the album Selected Jigs, Reels & Songs. (Ryan’s Jig starts at time 1:30 in this recording. The tune is pitched about 130 cents above A Dorian in the recording, in the vicinity of B Dorian.)
• Video – Martin Hayes – Paddy Fahy’s Jig / Sean Ryan’s Jig – from the album Martin Hayes. (Sean Ryan’s Jig starts at time 2:26 in this recording.)

Playlist – TrailJams Listening Series

Listen to a curated playlist (virtual album) of recordings of The Castle. Absorb the tune by hearing it in multiple settings and arrangements. Listen, loop, and learn.

Video Introduction to the Tune

Learn about the structure and feel of the tune, how to adapt it to tin whistle and flute, and a nifty way to remember how to start the tune.

Sheet Music

This tune is composed by Sean Ryan. But in the Irish and folk traditions, tunes are played with many variations in melody and accompaniment. This version is gathered from several sources, most of which are listed on this page. The musical notation and chords do not indicate the “right” way to play the tune, but are a useful reference.

For flute and tin whistle: the basic melody here is suited for fiddle, but extends below the range of a flute or D tin whistle. The solution to that is to play those out-of-range notes an octave higher. (The TrailJams Tune Camp tutorial includes sheet music, an audio recording, and a play along “slice” that has the melody modified for flute and tin whistle.)

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Castle Frolics Jig Set: Tell Her I Am (G) / Gallagher’s Frolics (E Dorian, Em) / The Castle (Sean Ryan’s Jig, A Dorian)
• The Castle / The Nightingale
• The Castle / Willie Coleman’s / Saddle the Pony
• The Reverend Brother’s Jig / The Castle
• Tom Billy’s / The Castle

References and Resources

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

• More Recordings
  • Video – Kevin Burke & Mícheál Ó Domhnaill: The Reverend Brother’s Jig / Sean Ryan’s Jig – from the album Promenade. (Sean Ryan’s Jig starts at time 1:34 in this recording.)
  • Audio – Betsy Branch, Clyde Curley, Susan Songer: Seán Ryan’s Jig / Up Sligo / Foot to the Ground – from the album A Portland Play Along Selection 2
  • Video – Paddy Canny, P.J. Hayes, Peadar O’Loughlin, Bridie Lafferty: Sean Ryan’s Jig (The Castle) / Nightengale – from the album An Historic Recording Of Irish Traditional Music From County Clare & East Galway
  • Video – Tergal14 Mandolin: Mandolin and friends. The Castle jig with Michael McDonnell – played on two mandolins
  • Audio – Julia Plumb: Sean Ryan’s Jig – solo fiddle for tune learning. From the album BFS Teen Group Tunes 2017 (BFS is Belfast Flying Shoes).
  • Video – Enda Scahill: Tom Billy’s & The Castle Jig – Enda Scahill & Mick Conneely on Banjo and Fiddle
• Books
  • Book – Susan Songer with Clyde Curley: The Portland Collection, Volume 2 – Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest
  • Book – Randy Miller and Jack Perron: Irish Traditional Fiddle Music
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Kevin Burke (Fiddlevideo): Sean Ryan’s Jig (The Castle) – Trad Irish Fiddle Lesson – fiddle lesson with video, sheet music, and audio recording download. Excerpt video lesson is free. (Full lesson requires subscription to Fiddlevideo.)
  • Lesson – Carrickfergus Trad CTMS: The Castle Jig – Video of tune accompaniment played on piano, with sheet music displayed.
  • Lesson – Carrickfergus Trad CTMS: The Castle Jig (for flute and whistle) – “This video shows score written to suit flute and whistle with some notes in a higher octave.”
  • Lesson – Enda Scahill: The Castle Jig – A Lesson in Pick Edging, Triplets & Chords – video lesson for tenor banjo. (The basic lesson is provided for free. More material is available by subscription to Enda Scahill’s Patreon channel.)
• Additional Resources
  • Article – Jonathan Lay (TrailJams): Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell
  • Web page: The Session: The Castle (Jig) – crowdsourced sheet music, comments, and more
  • Article – The Traditional Tune Archive, Biography: Seán Ryan – a very brief biography
  • Article – Wikipedia: Seán Ryan (fiddler) – a brief biography