It is invariably true that those whose first reaction is the latter, convert to the former when exposed to his work. Markey travelled extensively and has been greatly influenced by the Incas and the Aztecs as portrayed in the authentic style of bold brush work.

Characteristic of Markey's work are heart-tugging scenes of deserted whitewashed cottages, populated by cone-like natives dressed in sombre hues as they go about their rural terrestrial tasks, in small allotments and peat-bogs, to the backdrop of the mountains, lakes and inlets of the unmistakable western seaboard, these scenes form the basics of many of Markey's pictures.

In his youth Markey boxed as "Boyo Marko" Robinson and as a merchant seaman he travelled extensively. He received encouragement in his work from the collector Zoltan Lewinter-Frankl, whose collection was shown at the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery in 1958 and Markey was included. In 1969 after one of his working trips to Spain, he returned to Belfast and found that his small studio in Lyle Street had been burnt down and demolished.

He then spent several years living in Dublin. Though a prolific artist each of Markey's pictures has an individual distinction and true disciples of his work will have several of his pictures in their collection. Markey throughout his work developed his own distinctive individual style and possibly this is where the strength and quality of his work lies.