Brought to you by Electric Ireland

Only in the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup.

A Thursday afternoon at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick and there isn’t a sinner in lectures. The Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup has come to town and the whole college is out to experience its magic.

The best hurlers in the land, from Limerick’s Aaron Gillane to Cork’s Luke Meade are making the sliotar scream whatever way they want it to in a quarter final against CIT. How could anybody resist that when it’s only on their doorstep?

RAG week in Mary I and the only lecture being attended is the Fitzgibbon Cup one 👌👌 pic.twitter.com/u6czwEaxY7

— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 7, 2019

This is the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup and this week it will give even more.

Starting with the first semi-final between DCU and UCC and onto the second one between Mary I and NUIG. County rivals are turning college brothers and county brothers are turning college rivals. Here are a few match-ups and dynamic duos to whet the appetite even more.

DCU v UCC, Tuesday, 5.00, WIT

Paudie Foley (Wexford) and Donal Burke (Dublin) – DCU

Fast forward a couple of months and these lads will be chasing each other down in the Leinster Championship. Wexford and Dublin – two counties who have been on the periphery of their province for some time, for one of them to return, the other will have to fall.

Two fierce modern rivals, Wexford and Dublin will face off in the height of the summer and these lads could well be marking each other.

Foley, the thundering half back, Burke the sharpshooting wing forward.

For now, however, they’re united by the DCU jersey and with both of them having been on the team that lost the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup final to UL last year, they’ll be gunning to put that one right this time around.

That starts with UCC on Tuesday and if Foley continues to drill inviting balls forward and if Burke keeps on making it count, who’s to say they won’t make it back to the final flight?

Live stream of DCU vs UCC available from 4.45pm at electricireland/ie/hec or Electric Ireland’s YouTube channel.

Shane Kingston (Cork) and Killian O’Dwyer (Tipperary)

Tipperary’s O’Dwyer is small in stature but he’s big in heart and if he keeps on patrolling Tipperary’s and UCC’s last line with such venom and bite, he’ll have a place nailed down at two or four come the summer.

It won’t be long then until he’s following the elusive trail of a man like Shane Kingston with the aim of spoiling him. Cork and Tipperary’s rivalry goes back years but it hasn’t weaned one bit and this summer it will be as big as ever.

Kingston and O’Dwyer will be head to head then but they’re shoulder to shoulder now. For the UCC skull and cross-bones.

Mary I v NUI Galway, Thursday, 2.30, Cusack Park, Ennis

Thomas Monaghan (Galway and Mary I) v Sean Loftus (Galway and NUI Galway)

In 2015, the pair won the Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Championship side by side. Ever since, they’ve been billed as Galway’s next breakthrough stars and though neither have nailed a starting spot as of yet, they’ve been knocking on the door and this year could well see them knock it down.

Their careers have aligned almost puck for puck and for most of those years, they’ve been teammates. This Thursday will be different though.

Mary I and NUI Galway’s last four clash will come down to breaking balls and bursting runs and whoever comes out with more ball from the midfield battle between Loftus and Monaghan will win the day for their college. Simple as.

Thomas Grimes (Limerick) and Gary Cooney (Clare) – Mary I

Two men on the cusp of their respective county senior sides, a big performance here will throw them even further into the Limerick and Clare reckoning. Grimes was supreme last week at half back and Cooney did the damage up top for Jamie Wall’s men.

The Limerick and Clare rivalry is suspended (for now).

Electric Ireland is proud to support the Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup. As part of its sponsorship, Electric Ireland will live stream eight key Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cup games at www.electricireland.ie/hec and www.GAA.ie/GAANow, bringing fans closer to the action than ever before. Follow the Championship and be a part of the conversation on social using the hashtag, #FirstClassRivals or visit @ElectricIreland on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Electric Ireland’s Sigerson, Fitzgibbon and Higher Education Championship campaign, #FirstClassRivals, showcases the unique trait of these historic GAA competitions that sees team composition, unlike in club and county Championships, determined by place of learning not place of birth allowing traditional rivals to form the most unexpected of alliances.

Brought to you by Electric Ireland

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