Desmond was born on the 13th September 1921 to John and Robina (Kelt) McGuire. He was baptised John at the Sacred Heart Church, Bridgeton, Glasgow, on the 18th September. He was confirmed at St Francis' Church in the Gorbals, on the 30th May 1929. He had an older sister, Mary, who survives him. John was educated at St Francis' School and at St Aloysius' Jesuit School, before going to the Franciscan Junior Seminary, St Bernardine's, Buckingham.

John entered the Franciscan Novitiate at Chilworth in September 1940, and was given the name Desmond. He made his profession there on the 5th September 1941. In his later years he said he would have liked to retire to Chilworth, but that was not to be. Desmond made his Solemn Profession at East Bergholt on the 5th September 1944 and was ordained Priest there on the 13th March 1948 by Bishop Leo Parker. His first appointment after Ordination was to Glasgow for a few months.

In 1949 he went to India as a Missionary and ministered in the outlying villages and communities. He returned to the UK in 1959, and had to be treated for chronic amoebic dysentery which he had contracted in 1952. On medical advice he did not return to India. In 1981 Desmond expressed a wish to go to minister in South Africa, but his request was not granted, mainly because of the need of personnel in the Province.

After his years in India, Desmond's appointments were: Shelfield (Aldridge), Stratford (London), Edinburgh (and a few months in Liverpool), Ascot and Ipswich. He was then appointed to Edinburgh - at St Francis' - and then as Guardian and Parish Priest at St Patrick's. In 1996 he was appointed to Craigmillar (Edinburgh).

Earlier this year Desmond requested to go to Nazareth House at Bonnyrigg, and from there was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he died in the early hours of Friday 24th June 2016.