Cottage in the Grove

The Cottage in the Grove is a beautifully fluid, older traditional Irish reel that carries a distinctly different mood than the hard-driving session blockbusters. While it possesses plenty of momentum, it has a lyrical, winding quality that makes it an absolute joy to play on melody instruments like the flute, fiddle, or mandolin.

It is a tune that feels deeply rooted, rolling smoothly from one phrase into the next without sharp melodic corners.

The Musical Character

• The Mode: It is most commonly played in A Dorian or A Minor. This gives the tune an evocative, slightly melancholic, and ancient feel. Because it hovers around the A tonal center, it relies heavily on the open strings and low-register resonance of stringed instruments, creating a rich, warm texture.

• The Structure: It follows the classic 32-bar AABB pattern.

• The Flow: The A-part establishes a rolling, circular rhythm that snakes around the lower and middle registers. The B-part opens up elegantly, climbing higher to create a bright sense of space—like stepping out of the woods into a clearing—before cascading smoothly back down to its grounded A root.

History and Alternate Names

This reel boasts a long and fascinating lineage, tracing its roots deep into the 19th century.

• Early Collectors: Some of its earliest recorded appearances are in the invaluable manuscript collections of Reverend James Goodman (a canon and uilleann piper from County Cork) and the famous 19th-century bookseller John O’Daly. It also appeared in the historic Rice-Walsh collection, showing just how widely traveled the tune was before the era of commercial recording.

• The Tommy Coen Connection: In modern session circles, you will occasionally hear it called Tommy Coen’s (after the famous Galway fiddle player and composer of The Ballymun Reel). Because Coen popularized a definitive version of it mid-century, his name stuck to it for many players.

• Other Aliases: Like many traditional tunes passed down through the oral tradition, it wears many hats. Depending on who you ask or what county you are in, it might be called The Cottage in the Glen, McGovern’s Favourite, Coffey’s Reel, or Maurice Casey’s Fancy.

In the Session

While it isn’t quite as ubiquitous as Cooley’s, The Cottage in the Grove is a highly respected choice in traditional circles. It is often favored by flute and whistle players because its phrasing allows for lovely, natural breathing spaces, and it sits beautifully under the fingers on a flatpicked instrument.

Because of its modal, flowing nature in A, it pairs wonderfully in medleys with bright G major tunes or drives forward beautifully when transitioned into a punchy D major reel.