Martin McGuinness
James Martin Pacelli McGuinness (Irish: Máirtín Mag Aonghusa; born 23 May 1950) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician and the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. McGuinness was the Sinn Féin candidate in the 2011 Irish presidential election. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland.
A former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) leader, McGuinness is the MP for the Mid Ulster constituency. Like all Sinn Féin MPs, McGuinness practises abstentionism in relation to the Westminster parliament. It was announced on 11 June 2012 that McGuinness is to resign from the House of Commons whilst continuing as a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for the same constituency.
Following the St Andrews Agreement and the Assembly election in 2007, he became deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Ian Paisley becoming First Minister on 8 May 2007. On 5 June 2008 he was re-appointed as deputy First Minister to serve alongside Peter Robinson, who succeeded Paisley as First Minister on that date. McGuinness previously served as Minister of Education in the Northern Ireland Executive between 1999 and 2002.
Read more about Martin McGuinness: Provisional IRA Activity, Chief Negotiator and Minister of Education, St Andrews Agreement & Role As Deputy First Minister, 2011 Presidential Campaign, Resignation From The House of Commons, Personal Life