Jig, D, Irish Traditional
TrailJams Tune of the Week for June 24, 2021; May 7, 2023

Connaught (Connacht) is a province of Ireland, composed of the counties Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo. In ancient times it was a kingdom of Ireland, named for the descendants of Conn. To be a Connaughtman, as in the tune’s title, is to be a man of Connacht. A ramble is a walking or hiking tour.
Recordings
- Audio – Ewen Baker: Connaughtman’s Rambles/The Rakes Of Kildare/Calliope House – from the album The Inch Before the Saw.
- Video – Hooley: The Connaughtman’s Rambles/The Mug Of Brown Ale/Willie Coleman from the album Cuts from the Turf.
- Video – Duncan Cameron Music: Connaughtman’s Rambles
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.

Play from the Dots
Sets
Examples of sets that include this tune.
- Munster Buttermilk Jig Set: Munster Buttermilk (G) / The Mug of Brown Ale (A Dorian) / The Connaughtman’s Rambles (D)
- Tatter Jack Walsh / The Connaughtman’s Rambles
- Connaughtman’s Rambles (D) / Mug of Brown Ale (A Dorian) / Kesh Jig (G)
- Connaughtman’s Rambles / Mug Of Brown Ale / Willie Coleman
- Blarney Pilgrim / Behind the Haystack / Connaughtman’s Rambles
- Blarney Pilgrim / Kesh Jig / Connaughtman’s Rambles
References and Resources
- More Recordings
- Audio: John Weed and Stuart Mason: The Connaughtman’s Rambles – played slowly on fiddle with guitar backing. From the album Slow & Easy Volume 2.
- Books
- Book – Dave Mallinson: 100 Essential Irish Session Tunes (Mally Productions). With accompanying audio tracks.
- Book – Gary Coover: 75 Irish Session Tunes for Anglo Concertina (Rollston Press).
- Lessons
- Lesson – Shannon Heaton: Learning Irish Flute – Tune of the Month with Shannon Heaton – Connaughtman’s Rambles [Jig] – taught phrase by phrase on flute
- Lesson – Baron Collins Hill (MandoLessons): The Connaughtman’s Rambles – mandolin tutorial with video, sheet music, and play-along tracks
- Additional Resources
- Webpage – The Session: The Connaughtman’s Rambles – crowdsourced sheet music, comments and other information