A Belfast horse-drawn carousel destroyed during the troubles is now back on the streets.
Mick Marley, the owner of the carousel, claims his street carousel is the last one operating in these islands. Bought over forty years ago from Romany gypsies until the troubles started it was a familiar site on the streets of Belfast and other Northern towns.
Giving children a spin on the hobby horses at a penny a go.
The carousel did not escape the troubles in the north having been vandalised three times and on one occasion the original hand carved horses were destroyed. During a riot in West Belfast, the whole roundabout was tipped over and used as a barricade on the street. Students from Belfast Art College stepped in to renovate it and the repaired carousel has now been unveiled at the Northern Ireland Arts Council headquarters.
Mick Marley is now back on the road and has plans to visit the south. There are even rumours of a trip to America. The cost of rides on the carousel is now two pence a go.
In 1975 the carousel was the inspiration for a play on the Northern troubles written by Cork playwright Patrick Galvin. The play 'We Do It For Love' looks at life in Belfast in the 1970s, with a series of song and dance routines revolving around Mick Marley and his roundabout.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 12 July 1977.
