The Maids of Mitchelstown

Reel (single), D Dorian, Traditional Irish
Also known as The Chicken on the Saucepan; The Maids of Mitchellstown; The Maid of Mitchelstown. TrailJams Tune of the Week February 12, 2023; March 24, 2024; February 15, 2026

The Maids of Mitchelstown is a traditional Irish single reel that sounds great played slowly or at dance tempo. It is named for the town of Mitchelstown in County Cork, Ireland. At the foot of the Galtee Mountains, Mitchelstown is near the cities of Cork and Limerick, and the towns of Fermoy and Mallow.

This article has a brief and friendly explanation of the Dorian mode: Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell. A note to tin whistle players: this tune, in D Dorian, is usually played on a C whistle.

Recordings

• Video – Patrick Madden and Friends: Pipe on the Hob – Hag at the Churn – Maids of Mitchelstown – from the album Sounds of St. Andrews. (Maids of Mitchelstown begins at time 3:06 in this recording.)
• Video – The Bothy Band: The Maids of Mitchelstown – from the album Out of the Wind, Into the Sun. (This performance starts with a counter melody; The Maids of Mitchelstown melody begins at time 0:48.)
• Audio – Stephen Ducke: The Maids of Mitchelstown (Reel) – from the book Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes

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.

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Kelp Reel Set: Sergeant Early’s Dream (D Dorian) / The Porthole of the Kelp (D Dorian) / The Maids of Mitchelstown (D Dorian)
• Sergeant Early’s Reel Set: Sergeant Early’s Dream (D Dorian) / The Maids of Mitchelstown (D Dorian) / Julia Delaney’s (D Dorian)
• The Porthole of the Kelp / The Maids of Mitchelstown
• The Maids of Mitchelstown / Julia Delaney’s / Tam Lin
• Tuttle’s Reel / The Bunch of Green Rushes / The Maids of Mitchelstown

References and Resources

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

• More Recordings
  • Video – P.J. Hayes & Martin Hayes: The Porthole of the Kelp / The Maids of Mitchelstown Reels – from the album The Shores of Lough Graney. (The Maids of Mitchelstown begins at time 1:59 in this recording.)
  • Video – Kevin Burke: Tuttle’s Reel / The Bunch of Green Rushes / The Maids of Mitchelstown (Live) – from the album An Evening with Kevin Burke. (The Maids of Mitchelstown begins at time 3:14 in this recording.) The tempo in this recording is not fast, not slow: about 106 bpm.
  • Video – Mithril Duo (Andra Bohnet & Tom Morley): Maids of Mitchelstown – from the album Bottom of the Punch Bowl
  • Video – Culann’s Hounds: The Maids of Mitchelstown – from the album Culann’s Hounds
• Recordings in other Keys
  • Audio – Randal Bays: Willie Owen / The Maids of Mitchellstown / House of Hamill – from the album Up the West. (The Maids of Mitchellstown is in Em or E Dorian in this recording, and begins at time 1:47.)
  • Audio – Nathan Gourley and Laura Feddersen: The Maids of Mitchelstown / Callaghan​’​s – from the album Brightly or Darkly. Maids of Mitchelstown is played in B minor or B Dorian in this recording.
• Books
  • Book – Stephen Ducke: Irish Music – 400 Traditional Tunes
  • Book: O’Neill: The Dance Music of Ireland, O’Neill’s 1001 – By Francis O’Neill (1848 – 1936). Published in 1907.
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Kevin Burke: The Maids of Mitchelstown – Trad Irish Fiddle Lesson by Kevin Burke – partial lesson on fiddle, with some insights into the source of the tune. (Full lesson requires subscription.)
  • Lesson – Liz Faiella: How to play The Maids of Mitchelstown – Traditional Irish reel Fiddle Lesson – video lesson. Sheet music and practice tracks available on Liz Faiella’s Patreon channel.
• Other Resources
  • Webpage – The Session: The Maids Of Mitchelstown (Reel) – crowdsourced sheet music, comments, and other information.
  • Article: Jonathan Lay (TrailJams): Dorian, Mixolydian, Oh My: Modes in a Nutshell