 It was only when Hartigan attended the Sexton Street school of the Christian Brothers, where one of his friends was J.P. McManus, that he began to play hurling on a competitive basis.By the age of 15 Hartigan had White Cup (under fifteen and a half) and Dean Ryan Cup (Munster junior colleges) medals to his name and had broken onto the schools Harty Cup panel.In 1966 his school won a third successive Harty Cup and All-Ireland colleges' title, beating St. Mary's of Galway.