Ex-IRA commander leaves legacy of peacemaking though his own dream is unfulfilled

Martin McGuinness had a commanding role in IRA violence but his contribution to peace will be long remembered, writes Political Editor Daniel McConnell

HOW striking the familiar can be. Yesterday evening, we saw the coffin of IRA leader-turned-statesman, Martin McGuinness, being carried shoulder high through the streets of Derry to his family home by his sons Fiachra and Emmet.

Draped in a brilliantly crisp clean tricolour, McGuinness’s coffin was watched by thousands of mourners on its route back to his home.