Abstract:
Known to Protestants as the IRA Godfather of Godfathers and to Catholics as a hero of the Irish Republican movement, Martin McGuinness is one of the most divisive figures in Northern Ireland. This case details McGuinness's meteoric rise through the ranks of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), his subsequent transition into electoral politics and, in the wake of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, his appointment to the post of Education Minister for Northern Ireland.
Learning Objective:
Examining the conditions and climate that enabled a high-level member of the IRA to assume a position of great political prominence, this case considers the impact of McGuinness appointment on the political landscape of Northern Ireland, his performance while in office, and the reactions of Protestant Unionists and Catholic Nationalists, many of whom opposed the appointment.
