:00:00. > :00:08.This is BBC Newsline with Donna Traynor.
:00:09. > :00:10.There was a candlelit vigil in Belfast tonight to pay tribute
:00:11. > :00:13.to the former Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness,
:00:14. > :00:21.Thousands of people gathered off the Falls Road in Belfast
:00:22. > :00:24.and heard the Sinn Fein veteran described as a man who was
:00:25. > :00:27.a patriot, a peacemaker and a reconciler.
:00:28. > :00:29.Some of his political opponents have also credited him
:00:30. > :00:31.for his contribution to the peace process.
:00:32. > :00:36.But others, including some victims, say they can never forgive him
:00:37. > :00:41.Our political editor Mark Devenport looks back at how Mr McGuinness went
:00:42. > :00:47.When Martin McGuinness resigned as Deputy First Minister,
:00:48. > :00:55.Ten days later, supporters gathered outside Martin McGuinness's home,
:00:56. > :01:01.as the news spread he was quitting politics altogether.
:01:02. > :01:15.My heart lies in the Bogside and with the people of Derry.
:01:16. > :01:28.but I am very determined to overcome it.
:01:29. > :01:30.His final battle with illness followed a lifetime of political
:01:31. > :01:36.Born into a large family in the deprived Bogside
:01:37. > :01:38.area of Londonderry, Martin McGuinness left
:01:39. > :01:44.He was working as a butcher's assistant when the Troubles
:01:45. > :01:48.The young McGuinness quickly moved from taking part
:01:49. > :01:53.in civil rights protests, to joining the IRA.
:01:54. > :01:57.I was 19 years of age approximately at that time.
:01:58. > :01:59.In 1972, soldiers from the Parachute Regiment killed 14
:02:00. > :02:02.Martin McGuinness was second-in-command of the IRA
:02:03. > :02:10.The next year he was convicted of IRA activity by an Irish court.
:02:11. > :02:14.Security chiefs are in no doubt he was a key figure in the IRA as it
:02:15. > :02:16.reorganised and rearmed in the 1980s.
:02:17. > :02:19.Amongst its most high-profile attacks was the attempt to kill
:02:20. > :02:24.Margaret Thatcher at the Grand Hotel in Brighton in 1984.
:02:25. > :02:33.This nation will meet that challenge.
:02:34. > :02:41.Mrs Thatcher was furious when the BBC broadcast
:02:42. > :02:46.a Real Lives documentary in 1985 featuring Martin McGuinness,
:02:47. > :02:51.Reports that I am Chief of Staff of the IRA are untrue,
:02:52. > :02:57.Martin McGuinness denied having prior knowledge
:02:58. > :03:00.of the Enniskillen Remembrance Day bombing, the murder of informer
:03:01. > :03:05.Frank Hegarty, or the proxy bombings aimed at Army border checkpoints,
:03:06. > :03:08.but he consistently defended the right of the IRA
:03:09. > :03:14.At the end of the day, it will be the cutting edge
:03:15. > :03:19.When the IRA called its ceasefire in 1994, Martin McGuinness had
:03:20. > :03:23.already been involved in lengthy secret contacts with British agents.
:03:24. > :03:25.He went on to become Sinn Fein's chief negotiator
:03:26. > :03:31.Then he served as the Education Minister who abolished the 11-Plus
:03:32. > :03:35.just before a lengthy breakdown in devolution.
:03:36. > :03:38.It's been absolutely gut-wrenching for me as an Irish republican
:03:39. > :03:40.In 2007, power-sharing was restored and the public witnessed
:03:41. > :03:43.the almost unbelievable sight of Martin McGuinness forging not
:03:44. > :03:45.just a political partnership but an apparently genuine friendship
:03:46. > :03:57.He also seemed to enjoy a warm rapport with the Queen,
:03:58. > :04:01.shaking hands with her on more than one occasion.
:04:02. > :04:09.Martin McGuinness's relationship with Peter Robinson seemed cooler
:04:10. > :04:11.and more business-like than his partnership
:04:12. > :04:16.Then when Arlene Foster arrived at Stormont Castle he complained
:04:17. > :04:19.that the new DUP leader wasn't prepared to match his
:04:20. > :04:26.We suggested to the DUP that Arlene and I should travel to France and go
:04:27. > :04:32.together to a Northern Ireland game and to a Republic game
:04:33. > :04:38.I wasn't asking her to go to a 1916 commemoration,
:04:39. > :04:49.Arlene went to the Northern Ireland match and I went to both.
:04:50. > :04:51.Historians may ponder the contrast between Martin McGuinness
:04:52. > :04:56.the peacemaker and Martin McGuinness the IRA commander.
:04:57. > :04:59.However, his ability to steer the republican movement away
:05:00. > :05:02.from violence stemmed from his previous clandestine
:05:03. > :05:08.He didn't live to see the united Ireland he fought for,
:05:09. > :05:10.but there's no doubt Martin McGuinness irrevocably
:05:11. > :05:18.changed the dynamics of politics here.
:05:19. > :05:22.Martin McGuinness, as you heard, said his heart lies in the Bogside.
:05:23. > :05:25.His funeral will be held there on Thursday.
:05:26. > :05:27.Keiron Tourish has been talking to some people
:05:28. > :05:31.The final journey home for Martin McGuinness -
:05:32. > :05:33.republicans thronged the streets of the Bogside to say farewell
:05:34. > :05:38.For some time now, Martin McGuinness had been receiving treatment
:05:39. > :05:41.at Altnagelvin Hospital for a serious illness,
:05:42. > :05:44.with close family maintaining a vigil.
:05:45. > :05:59.They are at to day morning that person, not the great Republican
:06:00. > :06:02.though they know he was that, they lost their father.
:06:03. > :06:04.So they're today mourning that person, not the statesman,
:06:05. > :06:07.not the great republican, although they know he was that.
:06:08. > :06:08.They lost their father, their husband, their uncle,
:06:09. > :06:10.their brother, and obviously the devastation was palpable.
:06:11. > :06:12.In the Bogside today, people gave their impressions
:06:13. > :06:16.It's totally devastating for the community as a whole.
:06:17. > :06:19.It's sad, he done a lot for this town, for the peace process.
:06:20. > :06:22.And for that I am sure people will miss him,
:06:23. > :06:37.It's a sad day for Derry - a sad day for Ireland.
:06:38. > :06:45.The Church of Ireland Bishop offered his condolences, and said many who
:06:46. > :06:48.lost loved ones to the IRA would be reflecting on that today.
:06:49. > :06:52.They'll find it hard to come to terms with all of this and why
:06:53. > :06:55.is he receiving the adulation that he is, when his past has been
:06:56. > :06:57.so difficult and his association with the IRA which he referred
:06:58. > :07:00.to as the cutting edge, that led to so much pain,
:07:01. > :07:09.Kathleen lost her 42-year-old husband Patsy in the bomb in 1990.
:07:10. > :07:12.It also claimed the lives of five soldiers.
:07:13. > :07:15.He was used as a so-called human bomb.
:07:16. > :07:24.Martin McGuinness defended the IRA attack.
:07:25. > :07:28.I have no forgiveness for what happened to my husband.
:07:29. > :07:32.I can't understand how people can sit down and plan such
:07:33. > :07:36.I am not taking away from the fact that Martin McGuinness
:07:37. > :07:39.But I can't forget what his previous life consisted of.
:07:40. > :07:46.OK, in some ways, he's done a lot of good, but I don't
:07:47. > :07:53.There's no doubting the fact that Martin McGuinness was a hugely
:07:54. > :07:55.divisive and controversial figure during his lifetime,
:07:56. > :07:58.but, ultimately, history will be the judge of the scale
:07:59. > :08:07.and size of his contribution over recent decades.
:08:08. > :08:09.The Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams, has been reflecting
:08:10. > :08:26.Martin McGuinness was doing the best in very difficult circumstances. He
:08:27. > :08:32.was the pioneer of a peace process that, despite its imperfections, was
:08:33. > :08:37.the saving of hundreds of lives. We have to look at all of this, and
:08:38. > :08:38.Martin was not a single dimensional person.
:08:39. > :08:40.The former American President Bill Clinton said,
:08:41. > :08:42.as Sinn Fein's chief negotiator on the Good Friday Agreement,
:08:43. > :08:44.Mr McGuinness' integrity and willingness to engage
:08:45. > :08:46.in principled compromise were invaluable.
:08:47. > :08:48.The main political parties at Stormont have also
:08:49. > :08:55.While we had many reasons not to work together,
:08:56. > :09:01.and indeed there were a lot of things that separated us,
:09:02. > :09:06.our life stories, our backgrounds, we did have the core belief that
:09:07. > :09:12.The devolved government here was the way to move things
:09:13. > :09:16.That's certainly how I will remember him,
:09:17. > :09:31.Martin is someone who people in this city and around the world is someone
:09:32. > :09:35.who people came to know as someone who was committed absolutely to the
:09:36. > :09:40.peace process, and there is debate about this that it was tactical, but
:09:41. > :09:44.I think it was principle not tactic that Martin McGuinness believes the
:09:45. > :09:47.best way forward for this country was through peaceful means, and the
:09:48. > :09:48.situations he helped create and maintain.
:09:49. > :09:52.I have to say that my dealings with him demonstrated a man of huge
:09:53. > :09:54.integrity as a political figure here at Stormont.
:09:55. > :09:57.The third thought is the information he took with him to the grave.
:09:58. > :09:58.He knew things about Troubles incidents that
:09:59. > :10:05.and I think it is a shame that information has been lost.
:10:06. > :10:07.He was a calming influence, he had an enormous amount
:10:08. > :10:10.of patience in negotiations, and particularly at this
:10:11. > :10:17.point in time that is something that is missing.
:10:18. > :10:19.Many people believe Martin McGuinness was genuine
:10:20. > :10:24.for many others, his past hangs heavy.
:10:25. > :10:38.13-year-old Leanne Murray was killed by a bomb, so how will her brother
:10:39. > :10:46.Gary remember Martin McGuinness? It caused a lot of hurt and pain.
:10:47. > :10:52.Towards the end, people say that he changed. I find that hard to
:10:53. > :10:57.believe. I feel for his family, but it happens, doesn't it?
:10:58. > :11:06.Among those who survived the IRA bomb in Friday was this man, whose
:11:07. > :11:08.wife was severely injured. On BBC radio, he said he had no sympathy
:11:09. > :11:12.for Martin McGuinness. Peace would have been achieved
:11:13. > :11:18.anyway because the RA were defeated. The father of one of the young boys
:11:19. > :11:22.killed in Warrington says he can never forgive the IRA but in recent
:11:23. > :11:24.years Colin Parry got He came across as a
:11:25. > :11:29.very reasonable man. This may seem crazy
:11:30. > :11:31.given his early life. The only misgivings I have had
:11:32. > :11:38.was that it went beyond the stage of handshakes and he gave me
:11:39. > :11:41.a man hug. I felt awkward then
:11:42. > :11:48.although I didn't tell him. The bodies of some of the victims
:11:49. > :12:00.of the IRA have never been found. They are the so-called disappeared.
:12:01. > :12:05.Including this person, whose brother gave a reaction to the death of
:12:06. > :12:12.Martin McGuinness. I lost a member of my family... They
:12:13. > :12:16.will be able to bury Martin McGuinness but we will still not be
:12:17. > :12:19.able to go and visit our family's grave.
:12:20. > :12:23.In life as in death, Martin McGuinness has divided opinion.
:12:24. > :12:27.Our political correspondent Enda McClafferty is on Derry's walls.
:12:28. > :12:40.Yes, that's right. They have turned out in their numbers today at the
:12:41. > :12:44.Bogside behind me to pay their respects to Martin McGuinness. They
:12:45. > :12:48.have been queueing outside his home all evening, filing through the
:12:49. > :12:53.front door offering condolences to his wife. His four children, his
:12:54. > :12:58.brothers and his sister as well I think there is a slow realisation
:12:59. > :13:03.that many people have made the pilgrimage, and he is a figure who
:13:04. > :13:06.has dominated the landscape both as an IRA commander and as a
:13:07. > :13:08.politician, and he will know more walk the streets behind us.
:13:09. > :13:13.What are your thoughts on the mixed reactions we've heard today?
:13:14. > :13:19.It has been very noticeable to date, that those people who have lost
:13:20. > :13:24.loved ones at the hands of the IRA have been finding their voice, and
:13:25. > :13:27.they have been feeling pain today. They have been revisiting what
:13:28. > :13:31.happened to them and their loved ones, as they contemplate the
:13:32. > :13:33.passing of the former Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, and a
:13:34. > :13:38.difficult day for them and interesting to know as well to note
:13:39. > :13:42.the language used by senior partitions from the Prime Minister
:13:43. > :13:45.down, careful to say that not only were they acknowledging the
:13:46. > :13:47.contribution of Martin McGuinness to the peace process, but accepting and
:13:48. > :13:49.reflecting on as well his IRA past. What more is know about
:13:50. > :13:58.the funeral arrangements? The funeral will take place in a
:13:59. > :14:02.church beside us on Thursday afternoon around 2pm. We note the
:14:03. > :14:07.Irish president will be in attendance, but also that Enda Kenny
:14:08. > :14:13.will be making his way to Derry that day. We don't know about local
:14:14. > :14:17.politicians but make it an indication when the Assembly is
:14:18. > :14:18.called tomorrow and the MLAs get a chance to reflect further on the
:14:19. > :14:20.passing of Martin McGuinness. Now let's take a look
:14:21. > :14:28.at the weather. Good evening. Another cold night
:14:29. > :14:33.tonight with clear skies and light winds. We could see over an
:14:34. > :14:36.interpreter is down to -4 or minus five Celsius. County Down will have
:14:37. > :14:40.cloud cover tonight, with showers working their way in from the Irish
:14:41. > :14:45.Sea. Tamara gets off to a chilly start, then a mix of sunshine and
:14:46. > :14:49.showers through the day -- tomorrow. Likely rain across the eastern half
:14:50. > :14:54.of Northern Ireland as the weather system moves in. Best brightness
:14:55. > :14:57.further west. Some showers wintry for a time. Another cold day, with
:14:58. > :15:03.height of seven or eight Celsius. The good news is that as we head to
:15:04. > :15:06.this week for a ridge of high pressure becoming more firmly
:15:07. > :15:08.established, as we head towards the weekend. The temperatures are
:15:09. > :15:12.getting warmer and these guys are getting more blue. -- the skies.
:15:13. > :15:15.Our next BBC Newsline is at 6.25am in the morning