He may have graced its sports pages more often than he could ever remember – and it’s front pages too after his unforgettable All-Ireland victory speech as Galway captain in 1980 – but Joe Connolly’s life-long connection to the Connacht Tribune goes deeper than that.

He has an abiding memory seeing his late mother master the art form of tying two of them together with string, making them as small as possible to keep down the cost of postage, as it was lovingly prepared for her two daughters, Maura and Sarah, living in London.

“To this day, I can remember Sarah’s address on the front – Bath Road, Slough, Bucks, England – and it’s only because of that parcel of Tribunes tied up tight with twine to minimise the size,” he says now, reflecting on a newspaper that has been part and parcel of his life, almost from the time he could walk.

“I remember my father bringing it home on his way from work in the cotton factory – it was probably on a Friday rather than a Thursday – and in our house it was always the sports pages before the news,” he says.

His early memories are of the Galway three-in-a-row team and the photographs of these giants of men, the stories of their great achievements and the glory era that this was for Galway football.

This is part of our special supplement to mark Local Newspaper Week in Ireland - don't miss this week's Connacht Tribune for the full interview in the 16 page tabloid free with the paper.