Campfire singalong ‘Michael Finnegan’ has been named by parents as the most irritating nursery rhyme of all time.

The tune and its lyrics were said to be so “utterly catchy” that mums and dads found it impossible to stop humming it for the rest of the day.

It has 10 known verses but continues on a perpetual loop. Parents say this puts them in an impossible position of either starting again or ending it abruptly and sparking a tantrum.

Old MacDonald, meanwhile, was voted the nation’s parents’ favourite nursery rhyme, beating Row, Row, Row Your Boat, She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain and Pop Goes the Weasel to the top spot.

The farmyard classic was said to strike “the perfect balance” between educational benefit and adult interaction.

Unlike Michael Finnegan, which was said to wind kids up “into a frenzy” just before bedtime, Old MacDonald was found to have a surprisingly soothing and soporific effect.

The research was carried out by AudioGO to mark this week’s release of its new ‘Wheels on the Bus Singalong’ audiobook.

It polled 1,000 parents with children aged five and under, and asked them to name their 10 favourite and 10 most irritating pre-school songs.

 

The Top 10 Most Irritating Nursery Rhymes

10. Miss Polly Had a Dolly

9. Humpty Dumpty

8. She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain

7. Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

6. Rain, Rain, Go Away

5. Pop Goes the Weasel

4. Pat-a-Cake

3. London Bridge is Falling Down

2. Polly Put the Kettle On

1. Michael Finnegan

 

The Top 10 Favourite Nursery Rhymes

10. Humpty Dumpty

9. Hey Diddle Diddle

8. Polly Put the Kettle On

7. Cockles and Muscles

6. Pop Goes the Weasel

5. This Old Man

4. Row, Row, Row Your Boat

3. The Big Ship Sails

2. She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain

1. Old MacDonald