Deja vu as Cork team loses quiz final by same score as last year

CORK Leaving Certificate student Anthony Leahy is today overcoming the heartache of deja vu, after losing the Thomas Crosbie Holdings All Ireland Schools quiz final by the exact same score for the second year running.

The 17-year-old, who hopes to enrol in a law degree course in UCC this September, led the Kanturk-based Scoil Mhuire team – including his transition year brother Brian – to a second successive final in the highly competitive contest yesterday.

But despite a gripping fight-back from an at one stage gaping 14-point deficit to eventual winners St Nathy’s College of Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, the Cork school still lost out for the second year in a row by 92-98.

“Yeah, talk about deja vu, but that’s how it goes,” said the surprisingly upbeat son of Gerard and Mary, from Nadd in north Cork, after the final, held at the Imperial Hotel and to be aired as part of a special three-day RTÉ 2fm show presented by broadcaster Ruth Scott at 9.30pm next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We had high hopes with it the second year around, but its still great for the school to get to the final two years,” added teacher Eileen Leahy.

While the Kanturk team – comprising of Brian and Anthony Leahy, William Murphy and second-year student Mary McCarthy – held back their emotions, the same could not be said for the parents of eventual winners St Nathy’s, who were struggling to contain their anxiety throughout the gripping face-off.

As the ninth question in the final round of the competition, which came after 115 quiz contests nationwide featuring 164 teams, Teresa Higgins could barely contain he excitement as her son Mark Higgins reacted to the potential winning question by stalling.

She started whispering to herself “we have it, we have it” before the last question could even be asked.

Due to the exploits of the St Nathy’s team of Mark Higgins, Stephen Curley, Stephen Keegan and Paul Healy, their school will now receive a series of Dell computers, projectors and printers, with each individual winner receiving a Dell Notebook computer.The school will also take home the Andrew Quinlan memorial trophy.

Similar awards will also be given to Scoil Mhuire and defeated semi-finalists Sacred Heart Grammar from Newry, Co Down, and Ard Scoil na mBraithre from Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

More than €20,000 in prizes have been awarded as part of this year’s TCH All Ireland Schools quiz competition.