The Miller’s Maggot

Jig, G, traditional Irish
TrailJams Tune of the Week: February 22, 2026

“The Miller’s Maggot” is a buoyant Irish jig with a stately feel. Although the title may sound odd to modern ears, ‘maggot’ was once a term for a whimsical fancy — a compliment suggesting a lively musical invention. The tune likely dates from the late 18th or early 19th century, adopting an older English country-dance naming convention, and today it is heard both in Irish sessions and on the North American contra dance floor.

About the Miller and his Maggot

In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, English country dance tunes were often called someone’s “maggot,” meaning a whimsical invention or musical fancy. Dance collections such as The Dancing Master (first published in 1651 by John Playford) include titles like Mr. Beveridge’s Maggot and The Duke of Norfolk’s Maggot. The term later fell out of use, but some tunes bearing it survived in Irish instrumental tradition.

A miller, of course, is a person who owns or operates a mill that grinds grain. Millers and their mills have been important in Ireland and many other countries for centuries. You can visit one of Ireland’s working mills and millers in a video tour of the Martry flour mill. The Martry Mill is located near the town of Kells, County Meath, Ireland.

Recordings

• Video – Matt Cranitch, Dónal Murphy, Tommy O’Sullivan: The Miller’s Maggot / Peggy’s Nettles (Jigs) – from the album Sliabh Notes.
• Video – Solas: The White Petticoat / Stan Chapman’s / The Miller’s Maggot – from the album Solas. (The Miller’s Maggot starts at time 2:03 in this recording.)
• Video – Carlos Sweeney McCartin: McKenna’s / Young Tom Ennis / The Millers Maggot – Dylan Carlos, Cein Sweeney, John McCartin with Donal Lunny, John Joe Kelly, and George McAdam. From the album Carlos Sweeney McCartin. (The Miller’s Maggot starts at time 2:05 in this recording.)

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.

About the Cmaj7 chord – you can think of this as an E minor chord with a C added in the bass it (Em/C). Alternatively, you can replace this chord with an E minor (Em) chord.

Sets

Examples of sets that include this tune.

• Soda Bread Jig Set: The Miller’s Maggot (G) / The Mist Covered Mountain (A Dorian) / Munster Buttermilk (G)
• Miller’s Maggot / Stan Chapman’s Jig
• The White Petticoat / Stan Chapman’s / The Miller’s Maggot
• The Miller’s Maggot / Scatter the Mud / The Blarney Pilgrim

References and Resources

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

• More Recordings
  • Audio – Betsy Branch, Clyde Curley, Susan Songer: Miller’s Maggot / Stan Chapman’s Jig – from the album A Portland Play Along Selection 1.
  • Video – Arty McGlynn & Nollaig Casey: Barbara Needhams / The Miller’s Maggot – from the album Leading The Knave. (The Miller’s Maggot starts at time 1:02 in this recording.)
  • Video – David Dupplaw: Jigs: Miller’s Maggot / Mist Covered Mountain / Joe Derrane’s – tunes played on fiddle, tenor banjo and mandolin, with guitar backing. Followed by just guitar backing for play-along practice.
• Books
  • Book – The Portland Collection, Volume 1 – Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest. By Susan Songer with Clyde Curley.
  • Book & audio – Grey Larsen: 300 Gems of Irish Music for All Instruments
  • Book – Carla Chandler: 1100 Irish Tunes By Eye and By Ear – eBook published by “By Eye and By Ear Books”, Reno, Nevada, USA. ISBN 979-8-9869401-0-6. Provided by the author as a free downloadable PDF file.
• Lessons
  • Lesson – Caitlin Warbelow (Tune Supply) Virtual Learning Series: The Miller’s Maggot – video lesson. Caitlin teaches the tune by using a silly story with illustrations. Taught by ear, with fiddle. (The lesson starts at time 2:44 in this video.)
  • Lesson – CutiePie – The Sailor’s Wife Jig / River’s Dance (Firefly) – Tin Whistle Tabs Tutorial – video lesson for tin whistle, with tin whistle tablature.
  • Lesson – Hatao’s Irish tune of the day: The Miller’s Maggot (Single Jig, G Ionian) – video lesson on flute with on-screen sheet music.
  • Lesson – Liz Faiella: How to play Miller’s Maggot – Traditional Irish jig fiddle tutorial – video lesson
  • Lesson – Projecttwoo: Millers Maggot Jig – video demonstration of the tune played on Anglo concertina. Played slowly, then played up-to-speed with basic ornamentation.
• Additional Resources
  • Web page – The Session: The Miller’s Maggot – Crowdsourced sheet music, notes, and more
  • Web page – irishetune.info: Miller’s Maggot – Archival information about the tune, curated by Alan Ng
  • About Ireland’s Mills and Millers
    • Video – Amazing Food and Drink: Discover the Secret Behind Amazing Flour | Tour at Martry Mill Flour | Martry Mill | Irish Food
    • Website – The Traditional Cornmillers Guild