"Couldn't we leave this thread to be about Martin McGuiness?"
Nice idea Mac, but a little like discussing the Pope without mentioning Catholicism
McGuinness, like Adams, Paisley and the rest of the combatants, need to be discussed if full, historical context - almost impossible to do while the situation that gave rise to their prominence is still so fresh in our minds - any discussion with inevitably be a continuation of the war using words rather than guns.
I came across this article, which for me come the nearest to dealing with the conflict in context - the alternative is to plough through Someone like Robert Kee's detailed history of conflict in twentieth century Ireland - I wondert if Thames Television's excellent and very readable 'The Troubles' overview of the conflict is still available
It is almost certainly incomplete, but so is the information we have at our disposal.
Maybe a United Ireland and a coming together of all sides will fill in the gaps as the "context" article points out "The violence of the 'Troubles' is still open to partisan interpretation."

IN CONTEXT

Jim Carroll