My niece is almost two. My parents often recite little poems and rhymes to her that they told to my sister and I when we were small. Many of the poems they learned as children making some at least three generations old.
One of my nieces favourite poems is How many miles to Dublin? which is always recited while being bounced on one knee. It goes a follows
Hupp, hupp my little horse, hupp, hupp again sir.
How many miles to Dublin? Three score and ten sir,
Will we be there by candle light? Yes sir and back sir.Photograph of a hansom cab, From ‘Street Life in London’, 1877, by John Thompson and Adolphe Smith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansom_cab#mediaviewer/File:London_Cabmen.jpg)
A
This is not an Irish poem. According to the book A history of nursery rhymes, during the 19th century the poem was commonly recited to children in Britain as well as Ireland, where the word Dublin was substituted for London or other English towns.
Around the Mount Leinster area of Co Carlow the poem went
Hupp hupp little horse
How many miles from this to RossThree score and tenCan you be there by candle lightYes sir and back againHere Ross is substituted for Dublin and likely refers to the town of New Ross.This book suggests that this poem may date back even further to Tudor times. Its really interesting to see how simple family traditions can be preserved through the generations.
References
Green, P. 1899. A history of Nursery Rhymes. London: Greening & Co. Ltd.
Pilgrimage In Medieval Ireland 
My favourite: Here’s where the coachman sits (Index finger to child’s forehead)
Here’s where he lashes down his whip (Draw index finger down child’s nose to chin)
Chin chopper, chin chopper, chin chopper, chin (Gently strike under child’s chin)
havent heard that one before thanks Brian
This is fascinating! My grandmother (Oma) is from Germany and she used to sing us a very similar song, only in German. We would also be bounced on one knee and the song begins with “Huppa, huppa”. Amazing how we find traces of commonality between such different cultures!
Jill that is really interesting 🙂
I have recited that many times to my boys when they were little and they loved it – the faster the better!
Yeah it seems to be a favourite and amazing to see it passed down the generations
Jepp Jepp the little horse, Jepp Jepp again,
How many miles to London,
3 score and 10,
Will I get there by candle light,
Oh yes and back again
So open the gates and let me through
Not until you show me your back and your blue
Well here’s my black
And there’s my blue
So open the gates and let me through.
My great grandmother from Dublin on my mother’s side taught my father who always played this bouncing me on his knee as a fun game when I was small. I remember the anticipation of ‘open then gates and let me through’ knowing at any moment now I was about to fall through and almost land on the floor!! My daughters always loved Jepp Jepp too.
Thanks so much for sharing Tara , its lovely to have such nice memories of the poem it is a favorite even now in our family with the small ones.