McGuinness dies

The Guardian reports:

Martin McGuinness, the former IRA chief of staff and a key figure in the Northern Ireland peace process, has died just two months after stepping down as deputy first minister.

The Irish republican died after a short illness in Derry’s Altnagelvin hospital surrounded by his family. He was 66, and had a rare genetic disease caused by deposits of abnormal protein – amyloid – in tissues and organs.

Gerry Adams, his closest political ally, confirmed that McGuinness had died. Speaking on Tuesday morning, Adams said: “Throughout his life, Martin showed great determination, dignity and humility and it was no different during his short illness.

I found Martin McGuiness a fascinating character. As IRA Chief of Staff, he killed or ordered killed many people. He was a terrorist.

But after the peace settlement, he was an instrumental figure in good government in Northern Ireland and was a respected Deputy Prime Minister to a protestant Prime Minister – something that would have been unthinkable once.