Set some time aside for this on Wednesday night.
A new “landmark” documentary on the late Martin McGuinness featuring his family, Bill Clinton and the last ever filmed interview before his death will be aired on TG4 this week.
Tracing his life from his days defending the Bogside in Derry to his crucial role in the peace process, the documentary features testimonies from his friends and colleagues, as well as contributions from those he clashed with over nearly five decades as a figurehead in Northern Ireland.
Amongst the new interviews included in the documentary is a conversation with Julia Hambleton – whose sister Maxine was killed in the Birmingham bombings – who tells of how she could never forgive Martin McGuinness no matter what path he took to peace.
Elsewhere in the documentary, former US President Bill Clinton discusses McGuinness’ ability to engage with people and gain their trust through his personality and negotiation skills, saying: “He could talk an Owl out of the tree”.
Clip via TG4
For the first time, his eldest brother, Tom, tells of life in a family of six growing up in the Bogside of Derry and his graduation from “University College Bogside” to become the minister in charge of the education of all the children of Northern Ireland.
The documentary also includes the last ever filmed interview with McGuinness before his death in 2017.
“Martin McGuinness was a complicated person, he led a complicated life,” the synopsis reads.
“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”
Produced and directed by Sonia Nic Giolla Easbuig, made by LIGID Léiriúcháin and commissioned for TG4 with support from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) and the Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF), the documentary airs on Wednesday night (6 January) at 9.30pm and can be accessed worldwide on tg4.ie.
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