The Connacht Tribune Group had plenty of reasons for celebration this week after a quartet of entries were shortlisted for the eighth Local Ireland Media Awards has been announced.

Three of the nominations are for the Connacht Tribune and one for our sister paper, the Galway City Tribune, with the winners to be announced at a gala dinner at Bloomfield House Hotel, Mullingar, on Thursday, September 21.

Award-winning photographer Joe O’Shaughnessy is all over three of the entries – for Best Photograph, Best Use of Photography and Best Front Page.

His Best Photograph entry was entitled Frosty Handshake – and it’s the infamous icy greeting between Galway hurling boss Henry Shefflin and his former manager, Kilkenny supremo Brian Cody, after Galway had defeated the Cats in Pearse Stadium in May 2022.

The Best Use of Photography nomination was entitled Tree of Us when he recreated a Christmas photograph 40 years on; the original featured Nonie Ruane and her two young sons bringing their Christmas tree over O’Brien’s bridge in 1982.

And 40 years later, Joe recreated the same pic, with Nonie, now 90, and now-adult sons Brian and Patrick. Stephen Corrigan wrote the accompanying story.

The City Tribune was nominated for Best Front Page after a dramatic rescue from the Prom led the paper; after an elderly couple’s car veered out of control and into the water. Francis Farragher wrote the story that accompanied Joe’s dramatic photo of the car being pulled from the sea.

And our advertising department was nominated for Best Advertising Campaign which was a collaboration with our regular clients, the Wylde Restaurant at the Hyde Hotel.

The 2023 competition will be the sixth to be sponsored by the National Lottery, with Executive Director of Local Ireland, Bob Hughes, revealing that more than 400 entries were received across 14 categories – recognising excellence in journalism, photography, digital content, advertising, sales, design and innovation.

“We were delighted to be recognised in so many categories and we congratulate our colleagues from across the country who were similarly honoured,” said Connacht Tribune Group Editor Dave O’Connell.

“The Local Ireland Media Awards are highly-prized in our business – and to even make the nominations is a success of its own,” he added.

Picture: Galway team manager Henry Shefflin and his Kilkenny counterpart Brian Cody exchange a frosty handshake at the end of the Leinster Hurling Championship clash at Pearse Stadium in Galway. It was one of the most talked about handshakes after Galway were awarded a last minute free to win the game.