Michael "Mickey" Marley (died 28 April 2008) was a street entertainer from

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. Born in the Markets area of Belfast, but spending most of his life on the Grosvenor Road in the Falls area of West

, Marley was a common sight in Belfast City Centre for over forty years. Drawn by his horse, Joey, Marley would tour the streets of Belfast with his hobby-horse

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

. When he retired he sold the roundabout to the

Ulster Folk and Transport Museum Both the Ulster Folk Museum and Ulster Transport Museum are situated in Cultra, Northern Ireland, about east of the city of Belfast. Now operating as two separate museums, the Folk Museum endeavours to illustrate the way of life and traditions ...

. His local fame was enhanced by a recording of the song "Mickey Marley's Roundabout" (written by Belfastman Seamus Robinson) which was a popular children's request on

BBC Radio Ulster BBC Radio Ulster is a Northern Ireland, Northern Irish national radio station owned and operated by BBC Northern Ireland, a division of the BBC. It was established on New Year's Day 1975, replacing what had been an opt-out of BBC Radio 4. Acc ...

BBC Northern Ireland BBC Northern Ireland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcasting, public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. BBC Northern Ireland is one of the four BB ...

also made a documentary on his life. The 1973 film followed Marley's everyday life, against the backdrop of the heavy

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

presence on the streets of Belfast during the early years of

the Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

. 101

Lyrics of "Mickey Marley's Roundabout" by Barnbrack

:Micky Marley had a wee horse :He kept it at the back of the house of course :It wouldn't eat grass and it wouldn't eat hay :But it would eat sugarlumps all day :Micky got wood and wheels for a start :Then he sat down and made a wee cart :He hammered and he hammered and he foutered about :Until he had built a roundabout :::Chorus :''Round and round and up and down,'' :''Through the streets of Belfast town,'' :''All the children laugh and shout,'' :"For here comes mickys roundabout" :And then he went from street to street :A penny a time and pick your seat :A hobby horse or a motorcar :Jump on son and hold the bar :The children's faces smile with glee :Laughs and smiles a sight to see :You haven't got a penny and your ma's gone out :You can still get on his roundabout :::(Chorus) :But then alas to his dismay :The roundabout was burnt one day :Poor Micky lost everything he had :And all the children were so sad :But his friends they gathered round :From every part of Belfast town :They hammered and they hammered and they fouterd about and built him a brand new roundabout :::(Chours) :Hobby horses don't get old :I'm winter beds they all feel the cold :But Micky knows each winter pass :The roundabout is still at last :No more we'll hear the happy sounds :Of his roundabout in Belfast town :We thank the horse and the wee small man :For the joy they spread across the land :::(Chours) x2

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marley, Mickey Year of birth missing 2005 deaths Musicians from Belfast Irish buskers