The former British spy inside Sinn Féin: An informer’s years of living dangerously

Former British intelligence spy inside Sinn Féin, Willie Carlin, talks to Cormac O’Keeffe about Martin McGuinness, the IRA ‘Nutting Squad’ and his fears over possible trials

Willie Carlin may soon have to testify against the man who supposedly saved his life. If the trial happens — and it is still a big ‘if’ — it will be 35 years since Carlin’s 11-year-stint as a British intelligence mole inside Sinn Féin, in Derry, ended suddenly.