The Orphan (traditional Irish jig) -- Explore & Learn

Jig, E Dorian, traditional Irish
Also known as: An Dílleachta; Miss Casey’s; Miss Casey’s Jig; Miss Casey; Mrs. Casey’s
TrailJams Tune of the Week: July 19, 2026

The Orphan is a traditional Irish jig that moves with a blend of sadness and strength. Placed in a set of tunes, it can provide a change of mood to contrast with brighter jigs.

E Minor or E Dorian? The melody is centered on E and has a dark, minor-sounding character, but it neatly avoids the note that would pin it down as either E natural minor or E Dorian: C-natural or C-sharp. In the arrangement here, the harmony is deliberately kept open, avoiding chords such as C major or A major that would strongly color the tune in one direction or the other. You can choose differently, to great effect: replacing the A5 (omit-3) chords in this arrangement with A minor chords can bring sudden excitement and clarity to the music.

Because the tune uses the notes of the D major scale, it lies naturally under the fingers on a D tin whistle or Irish flute in D. Where the melody drops below the range of those instruments, the usual solution is to raise those low notes an octave.

The tune’s Irish title, “An Dílleachta,” translates to “The Orphan.”

Recordings

Video – Kevin Burke: The Orphan / The Mist On The Mountain / The Stolen Purse – from the album Up Close
Audio – Betsy Branch, Clyde Curley, Susan Songer: The Cordal Jig / The Orphan / Cuil Aodha – from the album A Portland Play Along Selection 2
Video – Dulahan Ireland – The Orphan JIg – tenor banjo and fiddle, with guitar backing

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. Note that the A5 (omit-3) chords in this arrangement preserve the ambiguity of the tune as being in E natural minor or E Dorian; replace those with A minor chords to clearly place the tune in the E Dorian mode. For tin whistle and flute players, play notes that drop below your instrument’s range an octave higher.