Martin McGuinness Discusses The Killing Of Lord Mountbatten

The Hudson Union www.hudsonunionsociety.com is where everyone comes to be inspired, to change our world.

Check us out on Twitter @ActualJoePascal

Martin McGuinness has been an extremely influential person in Irish politics for many years and a critical figure in developing and sustaining the peace process. Mr. McGuinness presently is deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. Security will be very tight.

In 1973, he was convicted by the Republic of Ireland's Special Criminal Court, after being caught with a car containing 250 lb of explosives and 5,000 rounds of ammunition. He refused to recognize the court, and was sentenced to six months imprisonment. In court, he declared his membership of the Provisional Irish Republican Army without equivocation: 'We have fought against the killing of our people... I am a member of Óglaigh na hÉireann and very, very proud of it'

He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont in 1982, representing Derry. He was the second candidate elected after John Hume. As with all elected members of Sinn Féin and the SDLP, he did not take up his seat. On December 9, 1982, McGuinness, Gerry Adams and Danny Morrison were banned from entering Great Britain under the Prevention of Terrorism Act by William Whitelaw, by then Home Secretary.

The Saville Inquiry investigating Bloody Sunday concluded that, although Mr. McGuinness was "engaged in paramilitary activity" at the time of Bloody Sunday and had probably been armed with a Thompson submachine gun, there was insufficient evidence to make any finding other than "he did not engage in any activity that provided any of the soldiers with any justification for opening fire".

He became Sinn Féin's chief negotiator in the time leading to the Good Friday (Peace) Agreement.

On 8 December 2007, while visiting President Bush in the White with the Northern Ireland First Minister Ian Paisley, Martin McGuinness, said to the press "Up until the 26 March this year, Ian Paisley and I never had a conversation about anything -- not even about the weather -- and now we have worked very closely together over the last seven months and there's been no angry words between us. ... This shows we are set for a new course."

Mr. McGuinness has been a key figure on the international stage.