"Dogs on the street knew about McGuinness" - Empey

Stormont Enterprise Minister Reg Empey today said: "Is there anybody alive in Northern Ireland who didn’t know that Martin McGuinness was involved with the IRA?

"Sure, the dogs in the streets have known that for decades.

"It is interesting, in many ways sad, at this time when we are enduring the whole Bloody Sunday Inquiry, that in the press in Dublin the key issue on the front pages is the 1970s involvement of the then government in establishing the IRA.

"So I think that focus needs not only to be on Mr McGuinness and the activities that took place in 1972, but I think there were activities that took place in 1969 and 1970 involving Charles Haughey that need investigating."

He called for a "full investigation" into the 30-year-old Arms Crisis which rocked the then government and led to the resignation of three ministers.

Four people, including future three-times Taoiseach Charles Haughey, were tried and acquitted on charges of importing arms for the IRA.