A family syndicate from Ireland who claimed the largest EuroMillions jackpot ever won in the country’s history have now collected their prize and shared their thoughts publicly for the first time about what lies ahead, reports Breaking News.
Clifford’s Centra, located on Shandon Street in Cork city, was the lucky shop that sold the €250 million jackpot-winning ticket.
The winners, who have decided to remain anonymous, described the entire experience as “surreal,” reports Breaking News.
It all started with a routine task. One of the family members had an appointment in Cork and stopped by Clifford’s Centra on Shandon Street to pick up a few items, reports Breaking News.
“I saw the sign at the till that the EuroMillions jackpot was €250 million” said one family member. “Although I’m a regular player, I hadn’t bought a ticket for the last two draws. I picked one up and honestly, didn’t think much of it.”
That last-minute choice soon changed everything for them.
“I was watching the Nine O’Clock News and saw that someone in Ireland had the winning EuroMillions ticket. So naturally, I got my ticket and scanned it on the National Lottery app, and a message popped up, ‘You’ve won big, contact the National Lottery.’ Obviously, this wasn’t a message that I was used to seeing, so I must have checked it 4 more times, I just couldn’t believe my eyes!” the ticketholder told the National Lottery in an interview. I ran upstairs to my wife who had just gone to bed and woke her up. We both checked the numbers multiple times on the website. We sat at the edge of the bed, saying ‘Oh my god’ over and over – I reckon we said it about fifty times. We were in total shock, complete disbelief,” reports Breaking News.
He added: “As you can imagine, sleep was out of the question that night,” reports Breaking News.
Even so, they set their alarm for early the next morning to call the National Lottery. Right on schedule, they got through to the claims department, and after a few suspenseful minutes on hold, the confirmation finally arrived – they were officially the winners of €250 million.
“Those few minutes felt like the longest of my life,” the winner recalled. “When Ronan from the claims team confirmed we were the outright winner, needless to say, we were in total shock all over again,” reports Breaking News.
Until the ticket could be formally handed over, the family kept it carefully hidden, tucked into an A4 page and stored beneath folded laundry in their bedroom. Over the next few days, they allowed themselves time to absorb the reality of the win. Committed to staying grounded, they carried on with their normal routines.
Once the winning ticket was safely turned over to the National Lottery, the family followed professional advice and sought independent legal and financial counsel. Since then, they’ve been progressing cautiously, making thoughtful decisions as they adapt to their new circumstances, reports Breaking News.
So, what’s the first big thing they plan to do with their winnings?
“We’re absolutely going on a family holiday. We love to travel and there’s so many amazing trips we’ve always dreamed of that we can now make a reality. We’re already looking at holiday homes somewhere in the sun. We also feel incredibly fortunate now to be in a position where we can buy homes for our children too,” reports Breaking News.
But their generosity extends far beyond their immediate family. They intend to help their extended family members – including children, grandchildren, close friends – and also donate to a number of charities close to their hearts, reports Breaking News.
Asked whether they had any extravagant plans, they laughed and said nothing too wild had been decided yet.
One member of the syndicate shared: “I always dreamed of owning a Rolex watch, knowing that I could never afford it. I went window shopping last week just to have a look and couldn’t believe the price tag of some of the watches. When I phoned my wife to tell her, she said ‘sure you can buy them now if you want’! I don’t think the news has really sunk in yet,” reports Breaking News.
Despite the enormous prize, the family says they are determined to remain down-to-earth. “We’re planning to remain in Ireland, and we promised ourselves that we won’t let this win change us,” reports Breaking News.
Another added with a laugh: “I’ll still be having my favourite ham and cheese sambo for lunch every day!”
The family are the 18th Irish EuroMillions jackpot winners and now hold the record for the biggest ever Irish win, reports Breaking News.
The winning numbers from the draw were 13, 22, 23, 44 and 49, with lucky stars 3 and 5.
The most recent Irish EuroMillions jackpot win before this one was in February 2022, when someone scooped €30.9 million with a quick pick ticket bought at a service station in Ballina, Co Tipperary, reports Breaking News.
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