Jim Hegarty The Hegartys of the Laurels tells the story of how a family home played a crucial role in Ireland’s independence struggle in Cork. The Laurels was a tranquil homestead and the centre of a thriving market gardening business. With the outbreak of the War of Independence however, the Hegarty homestead was transformed into a nucleus of subversive activity; a safe house, landmine factory, arms and ammunition dump, the No 1 Brigade’s base, and a base for Cumann na mBan’s intelligence gathering.