Kathryn Johnston
Martin McGuinness: From Guns to Government
Fascinating...the McGuinness story is truly amazing: read this biography and blanch' SUNDAY INDEPENDENT. 'A useful new insight into the man' IRISH NEWS. 'An impressive study of the most controversial republican member of Northern Ireland's current power-sharing government' DAILY TELEGRAPH.
MARTIN MCGUINNESS: FROM GUNS TO GOVERNMENT tells the story of Martin McGuinness' personal journey from undistinguished IRA volunteer to the man that THE COOK REPORT called 'Britain's No.1 Terrorist'. By the end of the 90s, Esquire magazine rated him the second most powerful man in the United Kingdom after Rupert Murdoch. And, although, he denies ever having ever been IRA Chief of Staff, he says that he regards the charge as a compliment. McGuinness, former Chief of Staff of the IRA and first Minister for Education in the Northern Ireland Assembly, is the lynchpin of the current ceasefire. He has been described as 'excellent officer material', 'the personification of the armed struggle', and 'IRA godfather of godfathers'. Yet he is also a devout Catholic, a husband and father of four and a keen poet and fisherman. In his native Derry, he is equally revered and reviled. Completely revised and updated to include new evidence relating to the Saville Inquiry, fresh information on McGuinness' role in Bloody Sunday and revelations of IRA spying at Stormont and Castlereagh police station, this book uncovers the truth behind the enigmatic and intensely private individual who holds the peace process in the palm of his hand. It also includes new appendices detailing McGuinness' full criminal record, his various positions in the IRA and transcripts of telephone conversations.
About the Author
Kathryn Johnston has researched and written about Northern Ireland paramilitary organisations for a wide variety of British and Irish television companies and newspapers.