All About Cork: 'The Hegartys of the Laurels' premieres in City Hall

Cork City Hall was packed to capacity in recent weeks for a sneak peak of a new film highlighting the lives of local revolutionaries.

The Hegartys of the Laurels premiered at Cork City Hall to the delight of the audience.

Dan Breen from Cork Public Museum was MC for the evening and the Lord Mayor of Cork, councillor Kieran McCarthy, officially opened the event, which was part of the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival.

The Hegartys of The Laurels tells the story of the Hegarty family and the roles they played in the War of Independence and Civil War.

It is based on the book written by John Joe Hegarty’s son, Jim Hegarty.

Produced by Maurice Dineen, it was filmed on location in The Laurels on Pouladuff Road, The Lough Church and on Spike Island.

Funding was provided by Cork City Council as part of their Decade of Centenaries programme and also by the Hegarty family.

21 pipers and drummers opened the evening with very powerful performances of The Dawning of The Day and The Minstrel Boy, with members of the Ballyphehane Pipe Band, Thomas Davis Pipe Band, Millstreet Pipe Band, Ballingeary Pipe Band and Tralee Pipes & Drums joining in on the night.

The Hurley family also beautifully performed An Fhuiseog sa Spéir in memory of their Grandfather Tadgh Hurley, who fought in H Company with John Joe Hegarty.

The evening ended with a ceremony of ‘Remembrance, Reflection & Reconciliation’ in memory of all who lost their lives in the War of Independence and Civil War.

The music for the ceremony was provided by All-Ireland Champions Claire Fennell (Uilleann Pipes) and Éilís Needham (Harp).

A spokesperson said “feedback following the screening has been fantastic”.

The audience found the whole event very poignant and emotional and really enjoyed seeing a local story brought to life on the big screen.

In his programme notes, the Lord Mayor said: “I would like to thank all of the stakeholders who have contributed to the production of this film; to Maurice Dineen and his team in Club Ceoil, Ballyphehane, to the Hegarty Family, to all of the actors, the directors, and production team.

“I had the pleasure of visiting the set during filming and I was in awe of the commitment, drive and passion of you all to this film.

“Finally, I want to acknowledge Jim Hegarty who’s book of the same name provided the inspiration for this film.”

In a statement, Maurice Dineen said he was “absolutely thrilled to bring this production to the big screen”.

“It has been my vision for the past two years to get it to this point.

“My passion for this project came from my love of local history and my aim to tell the story of the unsung heroes in our locality — in this instance the forgotten women who played a major role in Ireland’s fight for independence.

“After reading Jim Hegarty’s book, I found myself wanting to tell the story of the Hegarty family,” he added.

“Working with Jim Hegarty, Catherine Mahon Buckley, Chris Cullen, Elizabeth Scanlan, Act One Military Service, Premier Movie Props, Epic Productions and a cast of over 30, we have put together a short film which only shows a glimpse of the Hegarty family and how their efforts contributed the freedom of Ireland.

“To the fabulous cast and crew and the Hegarty family, thank you all for the hard work and dedication to making this happen.”