The quarter-finals of the RTE/Irish Times-organised third-level quiz competition, Challenging Times, begin tonight on Network 2 with an all-Munster clash. University College Cork, who beat St Patrick's College of Education, Drumcondra, Dublin, to reach the last eight, will meet the University of Limerick, who got the better of the trainee barristers of the King's Inns in the first televised round.

Next Tuesday will see last year's champions, University College Dublin, square up to NUI Maynooth. Maynooth won their place in the quarter-finals by beating the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, while UCD beat DCU in their local colours match.

On Tuesday, March 23rd, Challenging Times will feature the National College of Ireland (formerly the National College of Industrial Relations) against NUI Galway. NCI knocked out Waterford Institute of Technology in their first televised round, while NUI Galway put an end to Cork IT's participation in the competition.

The only IT left in the final stages of Challenging Times is last year's runners up, the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). The DIT could yet again meet their nemesis from last year, UCD, in the final stages of the competition. In the meantime, they meet the student gardai from the Garda Siochana College, Templemore, on March 30th in the last of the quarter-finals.

The semi-final and finals will be broadcast on the first three Tuesdays of next month.

Tonight's contest between UL and UCC can be seen on Network 2 at 8.30 p.m. The host, as ever, is Irish Times columnist Kevin Myers.