By Carmel Robinson

Copyright northernirelandworld

Fresh from a stand-up tour in Australia, Micky played sold out gigs in Perth, Melbourne, Sidney and Brisbane earlier this year. – – “Audiences were great. A lot of them were ex-Pats from here,” said Micky. “I always try and get out there once year. A wee change of pace, better food and nice weather.” Micky will be appearing at The Market Place in Armagh on September 20th kicking off a new stand-up tour which is to run until December with the possibility of fresh dates in the new year. Born and bred in Lurgan, Micky has been living in the Co Armagh town his whole life: “I love Lurgan. Still live here.” The 38-year-old usually avoids jokes about his home town. “Lurgan tends to be a punch line for other comedians, so I never really mention it that much. It’s nearly too easy. I’ll mention it but it’s never the whole crux of the material. But because I still live here, I’d get my windows put in,” he said laughing. Inspiration for Micky was his family. “Everyone in my family is dead funny. To be fair, everyone in Lurgan is either dead funny, or at least thinks they are dead funny and going to Lismore you kinda had to have your wits about you. I think that was a training ground for a comedian. “Mum and Dad are hilarious, my sisters are very funny. In our house, it wasn’t about great sporting achievements or even great academic achievements – it was like you were more respected if you came home and said ‘you’ll never believe what I fxxging did today.” He recalls his Sixth Form years at Lismore and being invited to host award events. A woman called Sadie Brennan from the school told Micky he should do ‘stand-up’. “I though, fair enough,” said Micky who went to Magee College to study theatre and drama ‘with the idea to get into stand-up’. “If I had known I could just walk into a comedy club and said ‘Can I get on next week?’ I would have saved myself a fortune.” “It was a complete waste of time and money! Well the good side was it got me different types of experience on stage, like serious acting,” he said. Micky started off doing stand-up in an ‘Open Spot’ in the Empire in Belfast. “I set myself a goal, that if I do well with this one, I will keep going. And that’s kind of the way it’s been for the last nearly 18 years. While Micky does a few gigs in the UK he is raving about the ‘comedy boom’ in Northern Ireland since Covid. He laughs about his ambitions to be a movie star, but already he has clocked up quite a few roles in TV including on the BBC hit series Blue Lights. “I played drunk man number 2 and I didn’t even need an audition. They took one look at my photo and said he’ll do,” he laughs. “John Wicks five and have a wee fat lad from Lurgan.” He does stand-up at Comedy Clubs across the UK. “We’ve kinda had a comedy boom in Northern Ireland since Covid so I haven’t been over the UK as much as I used to,” said the Lurgan lad who is focussing on this next tour starting this month then back to Australia for another run. He is aiming for Edinburgh Festival next year also. “It’s rinse and repeat. You write a new show and perform it til you get bored with it and write a new one,” he said. Micky is well known on the comedy podcast scene. He does one with Shane Todd called Lazy Boys with William Thompson. He has another one with Conor Keys called Deck Chair and Yumz. “It’s ridiculous, you just get paid to talk shxt with your mates. I can’t believe we are getting away with it,” he laughs. Micky Bartlett is back in 2025 with his brand new show ‘ROCKET!’ Asked what we can expect he says: “A load of bad words but nothing too offensive. Fun for all the family over the age of 16,” he says admitting he does a ‘banging impression of Trump’. He reveals that the prospect of turning 40 soon is ‘occupying my mind at all times’. “I’m going to be 40 years old and not ready for it. My hair line is receding, my belly is getting bigger and I’m thinking, can I still play Pokemon or what’s the craic?” he giggled. His comedy focusses on every day life, getting older, relationship stuff and a smattering of world events and politics. “It kinda covers everything from my wee stupid brain,” he laughs. Asked if he has children, Micky says: “I have new jeans and Play Station. That’ll do.” Kicking off his tour at Armagh Market Place Theatre, it promises and hour of his best comedy yet ‘sharing his thoughts on the modern world and secrets that most people wouldn’t tell their therapist’. The Market Place Theatre Show is on this Saturday 20 September at 8pm with tickets costing £25. He is also playing The Portico in Ards on October 3 and at The Braid Theatre in Ballymena on October 22 at 8pm. More tickets are due to be released in 2026 before Micky heads back for another Australian tour.