Reflecting on a "remarkable" first year of devolution, the Sinn Fein man said people are always asking him for highlights, but it was the small things that often stood out – such as a recent Paisley visit to Cork, where the DUP leader was jeered by hardline republican protestors.

Mr McGuinness said: "What really struck me about his trip to Cork was, I am told, that several dozen Republican Sinn Fein protestors protested against his visit, and when that happened, I sat back and just thought to myself who is doing more to end division on this island? Ian Paisley or the so-called Republican Sinn Fein protestors?

"And I said give me Ian Paisley anytime."
The Deputy First Minister, revealed he and the First Minister got on from their first meeting.

"He totally threw me when he said 'I think one of the first things we should do is tell British direct rule minister Peter Hain to get out of Stormont Castle' and within 20 minutes we had signed our first joint letter together," said the Deputy First Minister.

"Four days later Peter Hain and his officials had left the castle and, in going, even took the lightbulbs with them. And that's not a made-up yarn.

"What that said to me was that the DUP, led by Ian Paisley, wanted to be in a process, where decisions were taken here by people who live here and represent people here, and that there was a resentment against being told what to do by direct rule ministers. And that is something where I think there is common cause between the DUP and ourselves."

Meanwhile, the debate over the future of the IRA Army Council has taken a strange twist after Mr. McGuinness claimed it may no longer exist.
In an interview to mark the impending first anniversary of power-sharing with the DUP (on May 8), it was suggested to the Deputy First Minister that there could be no transfer of policing and justice powers to Stormont until the IRA leadership is formally disbanded.

Mr McGuinness claimed the DUP had promised the powers would be devolved by this month – a suggestion the DUP totally rejected.

And of the IRA, he responded: "I do not know if it (the Army Council] does exist or not."

When pressed that this was a statement which many – unionists in particular – would find "risible", the Sinn Fein negotiator and former IRA commander said: "How is it risible?"

He explained that over the last year "all of my focus and all of my meetings have been on the work of government" and "I have not had any cause whatsoever to be in touch with the IRA over the course of the recent while".

He added: "The IRA has left the stage. They are totally and absolutely out of the equation. Any attempt to drag them back onto the stage is a big mistake," said Mr McGuinness of unionists linking it to policing and justice.