Jig, D, traditional Irish
Also known as: The Rose Among the Heather
TrailJams Tune of the Week: July 12, 2026
A bright and elegant Irish jig, “The Rose in the Heather” is straightforward to play, easy to love, and open to variation.
The rose in the illustration is a dog rose, one of Ireland’s native wild roses: pale pink or white, five-petalled, yellow-centered, and much simpler than a garden rose. It belongs to hedgerows, scrub, and rough country. The heather around it is common heather, or ling, the low purple-flowering plant of moors, heaths, bogs, and uplands. A rose among the heather is a small, beautiful image — something delicate blooming in a tough place.
Recordings
- Video – Kevin Lees: The Rose in the Heather – Irish Jig – solo fiddle
- Video – William Coulter: Rose In The Heather/ Tom Billy’s Jig – from the album Celtic Crossing (William Coulter, Barry Phillips, Lars Johennesson, Kevin Burke)
Sheet Music
Play-along Tracks
Sets
Examples of sets that include this tune.
- Rose Jig Set: The Rose in the Heather (D) / The Orphan (E Dorian) / Health to the Ladies (A)
- The Rose in the Heather / Tom Billy’s Jig
- The Rose in the Heather / Tell Her I Am
- The Rose in the Heather / Connaughtman’s Rambles
- Connaughtman’s Rambles / Out on the Ocean / Rose in the Heather
References and Resources
For those who want to dig deeper, here are some other resources.
- More Recordings
- Video – Shane Farrell Music: The Rose in the Heather Jig – Shane Farrell Banjo – solo tenor banjo
- Video – Dulahan Ireland (Joe Green): The Rose In The Heather – solo tenor banjo
- Audio – Randal Bays and Joel Bernstein: The Rose in the Heather / Derrane’s – harmonica; from the album Pigtown Fling.
- Audio – John Weed and Stuart Mason: The Rose In The Heather – fiddle with guitar, played slowly for learning. From the album Slow & Easy Volume 1.
- Books
- Book & audio – Slow & Easy: 50 Irish Tunes by Mason and Weed – Book comes with 50 downloadable tracks (2 albums) of tunes played well and slowly on fiddle and DADGAD guitar.
- Book & Audio – Matt & Shannon Heaton: In Harmony
- Lessons
- Lesson – Peakfiddler: Rose Among The Heather Lesson – video lesson for the tune played on fiddle, with on-screen sheet music.
- Lesson – Shannon Heaton: Rose in the Heather [Jig] – Tune of the Month with Shannon Heaton – video lesson on flute, with phrase-by-phrase breakdown of the tune
- Lesson – James Finnegan (TheBanjoBuddy): The Rose in The Heather – Irish Music Tutorial by James Finnegan – video lesson on tenor banjo
- Lesson – Sean Cunningham (Whistletutor): The Rose in the Heather (tin whistle) – Irish session jig tutorial – video lesson with part-by-part breakdown and suggestions for ornamentation. (Tabs and sheet music on Patreon / whistletutor.)
- Lesson – Mossie Martin: The Rose in the Heather (Jig) – (fiddle) video, demonstration of the tune played on fiddle, slowly and then faster
- Lesson – Mossie Martin: The Rose in the Heather (Jig) – (whistle) video, demonstration of the tune played on tin whistle, slowly and then faster
- Additional Resources
- Web page – The Session: The Rose in the Heather – crowdsourced sheet music, comments, and more