Friday 16 January 2026
Tune of the Day: Moll in the Wad
Traditional Irish jig
The earliest appearance of this tune is in the 5th volume of James Aird's Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, published in Glasgow in 1797.
The word ‛wad’ at one time signified (a bundle of) straw, so that the title means “Moll in the straw” (possibly meaning “after childbirth”), although ‛wad’ has also been taken to mean ‛wood’. Barry Callaghan (2007) identified Moll i' the Wad, or Mother Goose, as a popular pantomime figure of the late 18th century. There are also nursery rhymes and old songs called “Moll in the Wad”.