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Apr
Funeral of well-known Traveller and musician held in Harrogate
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The funeral was held in Harrogate on Tuesday of a stalwart of the Traveller community and northern folk music scene.
Mic Darling was a well-known musician and singer, and played pubs, clubs and festivals across Yorkshire and beyond with his wife Susie.
In comment posted on the Folk Roundabout website, a friend of Mic's, John Knighton of Bedale Acoustic Music Club, said:
Mic played banjo and sang. Susie played mandolin and melodion. Their songs told of a life on the road, the injustices meted out to the gypsy community, and the joy of life.
Mic said his songs reflected a "way of life that has almost gone".
Mic and Susie were married in 1965 and had seven children. True to tradition, they lived their life together on the road, travelling mostly with horses and wagons.
Mic and Susie Darling. Photo: Facebook/Romany Heritage.
In The Road is Home, an illustrated book Susie wrote about her life as a Traveller, she said:
We've not had an easy life, but we've sure had an interesting one.
Mic's death is widely mourned in both the Traveller and folk communities. When it was announced on the Romany Heritage Facebook page on March 9, the post attracted 1,700 reactions and 325 comments from right around the country.
Following a service at St Andrew’s Church in Starbeck, Mic Darling’s funeral processed, horse-drawn, to Stonefall Crematorium, and a wake was held afterwards at the Railway Centre in Starbeck.
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