Life and legacy of Martin McGuinness examined in new documentary
Date Posted: January 6, 2021
I Fought, I Made Peace, I Made Politics traces Martin McGuinness’s life from his days defending the Bogside, to his days defending the Peace Process. We hear testimonies from friends, foes, colleagues, and Martin himself, as we trace this eventful and unique life of an Irish Revolutionary. This new feature documentary was produced and directed by Sonia Nic Giolla Easbuig with support from our Irish Language Broadcast Fund, it airs tonight, Wednesday 6th January, at 9.30pm on TG4 and can also be watched worldwide on tg4.ie.
Martin McGuinness was a man that divided opinion. He also brought people together through his negotiating skills. He was a fighter and a leader, a father and a grandfather, a son and a husband. He was deeply concerned by the plight of his community in the City of Derry and gave up his job to defend his city and the rights of its people. He continued throughout his life to fight for people’s right to govern themselves and have control over their own lives, starting with the violence that rocked Derry and Ireland in the 1970s and ’80s and concluding with being the joint leader of the devolved government of Northern Ireland for almost 10 years before his death in 2017.
New and exclusive interviews with the people who knew and worked alongside him tell the story of this Derry icon. People who knew him from youth. Nell McCafferty & Terry Crossan tell stories of living in Derry during the ’60s and ’70s. His colleagues from Sinn Fein who tell exclusive stories of day-to-day encounters with Martin and how he steered the Sinn Fein party in the North towards the peace that is there today.
Julie Hambleton whose sister Maxine was killed in the Birmingham bombings revisits her memories of that time and tells us how she could never forgive Martin McGuinness no matter what path he took to peace. Bríd Rodgers reminds us of Patsy Gillespie a story that followed Martin throughout his life. Colin Parry tells the harrowing story of losing his son from a bomb in Warrington town centre and yet he came together with Martin for the sake of Peace.
Journalist Peter Taylor recounts on Martin being pointed out to him in the early 1970s by John Hume as someone he should watch. Johnathan Powell, The Labour Party Negotiator, tells of Martin’s unique ability to get people to engage and fight his side. Tony Blair remarks on the strong sense of duty he had towards all the people of Ireland. David Trimble and Ian Paisley Jr tell of the distrust that the Unionist people had towards Martin McGuinness, but that they were able to realise that the road to Peace was to walk alongside McGuinness.
President Bill Clinton remarks on his ability to engage with people and gain their trust through his personality and negotiation skills, “He could talk an Owl out of the tree” says Clinton. For the first time, his eldest brother, Tom, tells of life in a family of 6 growing up in the Bogside of Derry. Stories of Martin, the younger brother, that wanted to play Football and Gaelic like his older brother. Stories of a brother that didn’t do well in school but went on to Graduate from “University College Bogside” to become the minister in charge of the education of all the children of Northern Ireland. Included in this documentary is the last ever interview filmed with Martin McGuinness.
Martin McGuinness was a complicated person, he led a complicated life. He was in the media spotlight for over 40 years. He started as a revolutionary, then became a politician, and finally held the office of Deputy First Minister. This documentary tells his story, the story of the man, not the fight. It is an insight into how one man went from a terraced house in a rundown part of a disregarded city to being the man who helped bring peace and true government to this troubled corner of Ireland.
A landmark documentary by LIGID Léiriúcháin commissioned for TG4 with support from the BAI and Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
SAOL AGUS OIDHREACHT MARTIN MC GUINNESS LE FEICEÁIL I GCLÁR FAISNÉISE NUA
Trodaí, Idirbheartaí, Polaiteoir- Déanann an clár nua faisnéise seo saol Martin McGuinness a mheas óna laethanta ag cosaint Taobh an Bhogaigh, go dtí a laethanta ag cosaint An Próiseas Síochána. Cloistear fianaise ó chairde, naimhde, comhleacaithe agus ó Mhartin é féin, agus muid ag amharc siar ar a shaol sainiúil mar réabhlóidí Éireannach. Sa chlár faisnéise seo, tá an t-agallamh deireanach a rinneadh ariamh le Martin McGuinness. Ba Sonia Nic Giolla Easpaig a rinne an léiriú agus an stúiriú ar an chlár faisnéise seo le tacaíocht ón Chiste Craoltóireachta Gaeilge. Beidh sé le feiceáil anocht, Dé Céadaoin, 6ú Eanair ag 9.30.i.n ar TG4 agus ar fud an domhan ar TG4.ie.
Chruthaigh Martin McGuiness easaontú binbeach i measc an phobail. Ina theannta sin, thug sé daoine le chéile lena chuid scileanna idirbheartaíochta. Ba throdaí agus ba cheannasaí é, athair agus seanathair, mac agus fear céile. Bhí mór-imní air faoi anró a phobail i gCathair Dhoire agus d’fhág sé a phost lena chathair agus cearta na ndaoine a chosaint. Sheas sé an fód ar feadh a shaol, ionas go mbeadh an ceart ag daoine iad féin a rialú agus smacht a bheith acu ar a saol féin, ag tosú leis an fhoréigean a bhain stangadh as Doire agus as Éirinn sna 1970aidí agus 80aidí agus a chríochnaigh leis féin ina chomhcheannasaí ar an tionól cineachta i dTuaisceart Éireann ar feadh beagnach deich mbliana, go dtí a bhás in 2017.
Insítear scéal an mhórphearsa as Doire le hagallaimh nua agus eisiacha le daoine a raibh aithne acu air agus iad sin a bhí ag obair lena thaobh, ar nós Nell McCafferty & Terry Crossan a insíonn scéalta faoi Dhoire sna 60aidí agus 70aidí. A chomhleacaithe i Sinn Féin a insíonn scéalta faoina gcuid oibre leis agus mar a stiúir sé Sinn Féin sa Tuaisceart i dtreo na síochána atá againn sa lá atá inniu. Déanann an t-iriseoir Peter Taylor cuntas ar an am a chuir John Hume comhairle air faoi Mhartin go luath sna 70aidí mar dhuine ar chóir dó súil a choinneáil air.
Luann Tony Blair láidreacht a dhualgas do mhuintir uile na hÉireann. Labhraíonn an tUachtarán Bill Clinton faoin gcaidreamh a bhí aige le Ian Paisley. Labhraíonn David Trimble agus Ian Óg Paisley faoin easpa muiníne a bhí ag na hAontachtóirí as Martin McGuinness, ach gur aithin siad go mbeadh orthu bealach na síochána a shiúil in éineacht le Martin McGuiness.
Ba dhuine casta é Martin McGuiness, agus bhí saol casta caite aige. Bhí sé faoi spotsholas na meán ar feadh 40 bliain. Thosaigh sé mar réabhlóidí, rinneadh polaiteoir dó agus bhí sé ina leas Chéad-Aire. Léiríonn an clár seo a scéal féin, scéal an fhir féin. Feictear sa chlár seo mar a chuaigh fear amháin ó theacht sraithe i gceantar ídithe de chathair gan aird ar bith uirthi, go fear a chuidigh le tógáil na síochána agus le fíor-rialtas a chur i bhfeidhm sa chuid corrach seo d’Éirinn.
Clár faisnéise suntasach léirithe ag LIGID Léiriúcháin, coimisiúnaithe do TG4 le tacaíocht ón BAI agus Ciste Craoltóireachta Gaeilge Scáileán Thuaisceart Éireann.
