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Early Doors

The Morning Score: Friday

Your weekend starts here. Grab a cup of coffee and get stuck into the morning’s important sports news.

1. #PARALYMPICS Ireland’s Paralympic is to be honoured at an official government reception, hosted by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, at Farmleigh later today.

The 49-strong team returned home from London on Monday with 16 medals — including eight golds — making 2012 the country’s most successful Paralympics in a quarter of a century.

2. #RIP The GAA community paid tribute last night to Fermanagh footballer Brian Óg Maguire who died in an industrial accident yesterday. He was 24.

“Ogie was a gentleman on and off the field,” wrote Fermanagh team-mate Barry Owens, “and glad I got the chance to play.”

3. #U21 HURLING Both Clare and Kilkenny have named unchanged starting XVs ahead of Saturday’s Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U21 hurling championship final.

Throw-in at Semple Stadium is at 7pm, with the U21 “B” final between Roscommon and Kildare starting at 5pm.

4. #COYBIG Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill says he will speak to James McClean after the winger’s pointed tweets landed him in hot water with Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni last week.

“He has taken himself off Twitter,” O’Neill said on Thursday. “Apparently then he might have a situation with Facebook as well and about 14 other accounts that he has. He has a bit of a problem and we will have to rectify it . . .”

5. #FAI CUP Eight will become four tonight as the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup dominate the domestic football agenda.

Three of the four ties take place in Dublin where Bohemians host Dundalk, St Patrick’s Athletic take on Drogheda and old Ringsend rivals Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers meet for the second time in a week.

Mervue United, the only remaining First Division side in the competition, play Derry City in the Brandywell.

6. #PRO12 Ravenhill is the setting for the first big interprovincial derby of the season as Ulster host Munster in the RaboDirect Pro12 tonight.

Yesterday, Ulster boss Mark Anscombe named a starting XV which shows seven changes from the side which beat Ospreys last week.

Interview: Murphy still taking the outside line