Mamie Hegarty
21st February 1894 – 24th November 1967
President Lehenagh Cumann na mBan
1917 ~ 1921 Service Medal with Bar
Growing Up in
The Laurels
Born Mary Frances Hegarty in 1894, she was affectionately known as Mamie throughout her life.
Mamie attended the local primary school in Togher and along with her siblings she worked with her parents Patrick and Elizabeth in their Market Garden. Always a hard worker, Mamie had great business sense which would stand to her in later life.
In 1917 she became very unwell with pneumonia and was hospitalised in the North Infirmary. There she met a fellow patient, Han Roche from Carty’s Cove in Waterford. They became lifelong friends and when Han was discharged from hospital, she recuperated in The Laurels before returning home.
Following the 1916 Rising and the subsequent increase in the demand for Irish Freedom, Mamie and the entire Hegarty family quickly became involved. One can only imagine the conversations that took place around the kitchen table.
Mary Frances (Mamie) Hegarty
War of Independence
Mamie joined Cumann na mBan and was responsible for establishing a number of branches in Cork City as well as Lehenaghmore in Togher, Ballygarvan and Ballycotton in East Cork.
Like her sister Nan, she carried arms and dispatches around the city and county as well as monitoring enemy agents around the greater Pouladuff area.
The Americans were brought into the First World War following the sinking of the Lusitania and Cobh/Cove (Queenstown) became one of their Naval Bases. Mamie was by then engaged to John Forde (“H” Company Volunteer) who was employed by S. Moynihan, Midleton Street, Cove as an undertaker.
This firm had an exclusive contract with the Americans to embalm and bury their casualties of the war in Europe. This gave John and Mamie access to Irish American sailors who expressed sympathy for the Irish cause.
They gained valuable intelligence and an opportunity to obtain arms and ammunition. The deceased soldiers were embalmed and dressed in military uniform with sidearms. Many of those sidearms were removed and found their way to The Laurels to be used by “H” Company and the Cork IRA Brigade.
The Hegarty family were anti-treaty and Mamie was involved in the capture of the “Upnor” in March 1922.
The captured ship, laden with arms, ammunition and explosives was forced to dock in Ballycotton where members of Cumann na mBan and the Cork Brigade were waiting with a fleet of lorries to unload the weapons. Mamie’s knowledge of the area was vital to this operation and it was she who organised the Cumann na mBan involvement in the operation.
Some of the arms were taken to The Laurels as well as to John and Mamies home in Greenmount which had also become a safe-house and arms dump. More were transported to the home of Sean Mitchell in Kerrypike.
Both Mamie and John were awarded their service medals in 1941. When Mamie did eventually apply for her military pension she recieved letters of support and recommendation from Sean Mitchell, Tom Croft, Captain Richardson and many others.
Historic Military Wedding
In 1920, Mamie and John Forde arranged to marry and the local priest suggested that they wear their military uniforms for the ceremony.
Mamie decided to wear the Old Irish National Wedding costume and this was designed and made both for her and her sister Nan (bridesmaid). The delicate woolen cloaks were beautifully embroidered with intricate celtic symbols by Blackthorn House on Patrick Street.
On the day of the wedding 26th June 1920, the Lough Church was surrounded by Volunteers from “H” Company to ensure that the ceremony would not be stopped. The wedding party consisted of John Forde, Mamie Hegarty with their witnesses Paddy Forde and Nan Hegarty.
It was the first wedding where the Bride and Groom were both Volunteers and were married in military uniform and national costume.
After the ceremony the wedding party returned to The Laurels and shortly afterwards Mamie and John left to take the train to Youghal for their Honeymoon.
Once in Youghal they took the ferry across to Ferry Point and from there went to stay with Han Roche and her family in Carty’s Cove.
The Roche family had arranged a meal to celebrate the wedding and the newlyweds stayed there in safety.
Mamie and John returned to Carty’s Cove very often throughout their lives.
Life after the Wars
In 1922 Mamie and John moved from Greenmount to Keyser’s Hill (Lane) which runs between Elizabeth Fort and French’s Quay. Their new business, a Funeral Establishment was based on French’s Quay.
There were nine children in the Forde family. Denis (Dee), Paddy, Eileen, Hillary, Lilly, Teddy, Mary, Rita and Hanna (Babe).
Tragically they lost Mary, Rita and Hanna in 1942 with further tragedy in 1943 when John passed away very suddenly.
Mamie continued to run their Funeral business which remains in the family to this day and is now run by their eldest son Dee.
The Next Generations
