Career
Born Anne Harkin, McGuinness worked at Altnagelvin Hospital before becoming involved in the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, then joining Sinn Féin in 1972. She was present at the events of Bloody Sunday. Harkin married the brother of Martin McGuinness, becoming known as Dodie McGuinness.
In 1985, she was elected to Derry City Council as a Sinn Féin member, holding the seat until 1993.
McGuinness stood as one of three Sinn Féin candidates in the European election in 1994, but was unsuccessful. In 1996, she was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum as one of four Sinn Féin members in Belfast West.
McGuinness did not stand for the Northern Ireland Assembly, and by 2003, she was the head of the Sinn Féin Bureau in England. She is distantly related to the author Clive Cussler.