39 Facts About Martin Dillon

Martin Dillon was born on 2 June 1949 and is an Irish author, journalist, and broadcaster.

Martin Dillon has won international acclaim for his investigative reporting and non-fiction works on the Troubles, including his bestselling trilogy, The Shankill Butchers, The Dirty War and God and the Gun, about the Northern Ireland conflict.

Martin Dillon was born in the Lower Falls area of West Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Martin Dillon grew up with nine siblings in a traditional Catholic household.

Martin Dillon attended Belfast College of Business Studies in 1970.

Martin Dillon began his distinguished career as a newspaper reporter in 1968.

Martin Dillon trained with The Irish News, a daily newspaper with a mainly Irish Nationalist readership, and contributed to its weekly publication, The Irish Weekly.

Martin Dillon reported on a variety of events including those related to The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Martin Dillon valued his early years in journalism because of the challenges and unique experiences that later found expression in his non-fiction works.

In 1973 Martin Dillon published his first non-fiction book, "Political Murder in Northern Ireland".

In 1973, Martin Dillon joined BBC Northern Ireland's Newsroom as a News Assistant.

Martin Dillon introduced John Hume to UDA paramilitary leader, John McMichael, credited with running assassination teams in Northern Ireland.

Martin Dillon's role was to script and produce a major series on the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Martin Dillon was always determined to uncover the truth of our sordid war AS far as I'm concerned, Martin Dillon changed the way the Troubles were reported.

Martin Dillon fought against the BBC's interpretation of balance in its news and current affairs output.

In 1992 Martin Dillon left the BBC to pursue his writing career.

Martin Dillon subsequently became a terrorism analyst and commentator for Sky Television and other television and radio networks.

Martin Dillon contributed as a TV commentator and terrorism expert to several networks including BBC, RTE, Sky TV and Channel Four.

Martin Dillon exposes the depravity of the UVF gang that was run by an aggressive psychopath, Lenny Murphy, with the help of one of his brothers.

Martin Dillon painstakingly interviewed countless civilians, paramilitaries and police officers in compiling the book.

Martin Dillon unraveled the use of state-sponsored terrorism and the phenomenon of "Rompering", a form of sadistic torture used by the paramilitaries.

Martin Dillon unveils proof of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's secret intervention in the case, including how she told the Americans overseeing the Doherty case that she considered his extradition to Britain a quid pro quo for her allowing US jets to use British airspace on the way to bomb Libya.

Martin Dillon was asked by the Federal Court in New York to provide testimony about the inner workings of the IRA, based on his work The Dirty War.

Martin Dillon agreed on condition he would be judged a "friend of the court" witness and not one seen to be supporting one or the other side in the case.

In Stone Cold: True Story of Michael Stone and the Milltown Massacre, 1992, Martin Dillon portrays Michael Stone, a natural born killer, infamous for his murder spree during an IRA funeral in Belfast's Milltown Cemetery in March 1988.

Martin Dillon's targets had been the Provisional IRA leaders present at the graveside, in particular Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.

Martin Dillon applies his extensive knowledge on the subject to provide new evidence of the political and military mistakes, which he argues, made British cities the most vulnerable in Europe to terrorist attacks.

Martin Dillon provides the first comprehensive survey of the IRA in Britain.

Martin Dillon interviewed paramilitaries and religious figures to discern whether this is a religious war or one of economics and class.

Martin Dillon exposes the ideology of the cult of the gunmen and the greed combined with hatred that motivated the assassins in their killing sprees.

Martin Dillon presents penetrating insights into the mindset of terrorist Godfathers and their triggermen like the infamous Protestant assassin Billy Wright, the INLA leader Dominic McGlinchey, "Mad Dog" Johnny Adair, the UDA hitman, Michael Stone, and British terrorist agent, Brian Nelson.

Martin Dillon is the most decorated fighting soldier of WWII, receiving four DSOs, the Croix de Guerre, and the Legion d'Honneur.

Martin Dillon was one of the six founder members of the SAS and pioneered tactics used today by Special Forces units across the globe.

Martin Dillon was denied the ultimate accolade of the Victoria Cross because of his unorthodox rules of war and his resentment of authority.

In 2002, Martin Dillon updated the new, revised edition Rogue Warrior of the SAS - the Blair Mayne Legend, 2003 for Mainstream publishing.

Martin Dillon, using his sources within East European intelligence agencies and the FBI, charts Maxwell's secret activities in Eastern Europe, especially his personal ties to KGB bosses during the Cold War.

Martin Dillon's books have accurately chartered the terror and the horror of recent Northern Irish history but always in a tone of compassion for the innocent victims caught up in conflict.

Martin Dillon went on to write and broadcast for news outlets in the US and Canada, appearing on CNN, ABC, NPR and NBC as a guest and a global expert on terrorism and organized crime.

In 2014, they moved from New York City to San Francisco Bay area, California, where Martin Dillon continues to work on his journalism, television and book projects.