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WF
Marshall The Bard of Tyrone 1888 - 1959 Assessment Perhaps I have dwelt at too great length on Marshall's funeral but it does bring together many of the strands of his life. No doubt, some would feel that the detailed account of the funeral places him firmly in one community rather than the other. This is unavoidable. However it is necessary to be a Tyrone person, a Presbyterian or a Unionist to enjoy and experience and be enriched by WF Marshall's legacy. Happily, Marshall is already enjoyed and appreciated by people who are Roman Catholic and Nationalist - and probably by atheists and agnostics as well. There is an inclusivity in to Marshall's work which allows him to transcend the religious and political divide. Nor is Marshall's appeal confined to his native Tyrone. Marshall's humour and humanity give him a wider, almost universal, appeal. Let us leave the last word to Marshall with one of his last poems, 'Tullyneil'. The dying poet contemplates the rich and diverse strands of Tyrone's history and casts his mind back to the old village school, where his father taught, and to the 'Plain old house of God' beside which he and his are laid to rest.
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