High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Martin "Marty" McGartland (born 30 January 1970 in Belfast) is a former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) agent who joined the organisation in 1989 in order to pass information to British security forces. When he was exposed as an Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Special Branch agent in 1991 he was abducted by the IRA, but escaped and was resettled in England. His identity became known after a minor court case. He was later shot six times by an IRA assassin, but recovered from the injuries. He has written two books about his life.