Martin McGuinness’ place in Irish history is assured

The shock of Martin McGuinness' early death is still raw. Announced just after dawn this morning, Ireland has lost one of its political giants, whose place in recent Irish history is assured.

Since those very stark images of a clearly sick and feeble McGuinness were broadcast in January, people were fully aware that he was battling against a serious condition.

Still in his late 60s, his death is shocking and untimely.

The Derry man was one of the few Sinn Féin leaders who was open about his IRA past, even though we will never know the extent of his involvement, having been given only a sliver of a glimpse from him.

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Ireland knew two Martin McGuinnesses: the man of war and the man of peace

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Ironically, unlike Gerry Adams whose IRA past will always bedevil his legacy, McGuinness will be remembered in history primarily as a politician and not as an IRA volunteer/rebel/terrorist, depending on your perspective.

Sure, the recordings will be played on a loop for the next few days. Those black and white television images from the 1970s showing a young Adonis talking openly about armed resistance to the British in Derry.

Those hardline recordings from the 1980s where McGuinness says the only way in which the British will be persuaded to cede the North would be through violence.

It is his comparatively late flowering as a politician that was arguably the making of McGuinness.

He was clear, articulate and committed without doubt to his cause. When those flinty blue eyes stared with the intensity of a gas blowtorch, his opponents knew they would need to have their thoughts well rounded.

The strongest part of his political armoury was his charm and his humour, his ability to reach out to those who were not only allies but who were hostile, or were enemies.

In 10 years as Deputy First Minister he was able to share a political mission with the likes of Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson.

His recall for detail, faces and names was unparalleled. If you reel back to their respective positions in the 1970s and the 1980s, you would conclude that such an accommodation was inconceivable.

The only real blip for him in recent years was the Presidential election where he was constantly reminded of the egregious acts the IRA had committed in the South in the name of Irish freedom.

A clear majority of voters in the Republic could not reconcile those acts with a McGuinness presidency.

In the vote he still performed respectably, although at one stage it looked like it might be a stellar campaign for him.

In his last interview with Tommy Gorman on RTE, McGuinness said he was very proud of where he came from, that he had been deputy prime minister in a shared administration for the centenary celebrations of 1916.

History will remember him primarily as a politician rather than a soldier. That is a powerful legacy.

Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam.