Denis Hurley picks out eight players to watch from Wednesday's Harty Cup quarter-finalists.

In testing conditions, they were forced to play three-quarters of this third round a player down after Jarlath Collins received a straight red card for an altercation with an opposing player in the 18th minute.

For the first time since 2006, a Cork school will, tomorrow afternoon, begin their defence of the Harty Cup.

The Hannigan brothers — James and Scott — lit up the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght yesterday as they powered Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG to U19A Boys Subway Schools Cup glory. The pair hit 53 points between them in a 68-79 victory over Mercy Mounthawk. Their scoring coupled with a superb display from David Lehane, secured a deserved title for the Cork side.

Goals from Ben Cooney and a brace from Bryan McLoughney saw Nenagh CBS secure a resounding 10-point victory over Cork’s Gaelcholaiste Mhuire an Mhainistir Thuaidh in Kilfinane.

Cork is fast becoming one of Europe’s most active and growing tech regions with 29,000 employees, adding to rapid growth in Ireland’s technology industry.

The strength of Cork’s marriage with the Harty Cup has rarely, if ever, been called into question.

Reigning Dr Harty Cup (Munster PPS U18½AHC) champions Our Lady’s Secondary School will clash with John The Baptist CS of Hospital in the quarter-finals of the current competition.

There’s something akin to nostalgia in Valerie Mulcahy’s voice when the Cork GAA star recalls the very early days of her inter county career when she and her teammates would have a fry-up on the day of a big away match.

CBS Charleville 1-15 Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG 0-15: A tale of two halves in Fermoy yesterday as CBS Charleville held off a tenacious fightback from Gaelcholáiste Mhuire to claim their first set of points in the Harty Cup. 

Thurles CBS have twice won back- to-back Dr Harty Cup titles.

Dr Harty Cup quarter-final

St Francis College, Rochestown 2-9 Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG 1-6

A repeat of last year’s semi-final pairing is in store as Dr Harty Cup holders Ardscoil Rís were drawn with Hamilton High School in the quarter-final.

St Francis College, Rochestown 2-14 Midleton CBS 1-08

Castletroy College 2-13 Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG 0-18

Sarsfields boss Pat Ryan reassembled his charges on the Thursday evening after their Cork county final win. Celebrations were cut short as a statement of intent.

Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG 2-14 St Colman’s College 0-7

An all-Irish secondary school that turned down dozens of applications this year will enrol three first-year classes in 2015 after approval for a long-term expansion and building works.

Ardscoil Rís got their defence of the Dr Harty Cup off to an impressive start as they beat Blackwater CS of Lismore in their Group 1 clash at Cahir yesterday.

A Cork city centre gaelcholáiste is offering more first-year places next autumn, which could ease difficulties for some families disappointed by a one-third cut in intake at a northside all-Irish college.

The manager of a secondary school criticised for reducing intake from three classes to two is unable to say when a ruling will be made on whether to apply for extra buildings to cater for demand.

Parents have protested over a second-level school’s controversial enrolment policy which could see dozens of children left without a school place next year.

The dangers of weak internet passwords and privacy settings were driven home to students by a past pupil of their school yesterday.

A Cork all-Irish school has reversed its decision not to enrol a third first-year class next September after more than 20 appeals were made to the Department of Education.

It will be a time for bridging gaps as the Dr Harty Cup gets underway today, albeit with a more truncated fixture list than usual.

HAVING genes from Fiji and Fermanagh — neither of them hurling strongholds — has proved no bar to a GAA legend getting the highest accolade his adopted city can offer.

THE Irish researcher who discovered the cure for leprosy has been honoured to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth.