Family syndicate officially claims €250m EuroMillions jackpot win

Irish Daily Mirror

5 days ago

A family syndicate from Ireland has officially claimed the largest EuroMillions jackpot prize in the nation's history, walking away with a cheque worth an astonishing €250,000,000.
The winners, who have chosen to remain anonymous, described their journey to this life-changing windfall as "surreal".
It all began with a simple errand. One family member had an appointment in Cork and stopped into Clifford's Centra on Shandon Street to pick up a few messages.
"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 spontaneous decision would soon turn their world upside down.
"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 four more times, I just couldn't believe my eyes!" the ticketholder recalled.
"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 50 times. We were in total shock, complete disbelief."
He added, "As you can imagine, sleep was out of the question that night." Clifford's Centra celebrate selling Irelands biggest ever EuroMillions jackpot. Pictured is Cian Murphy CEO National Lottery alongside store manager Simon Champ and the team of Clifford's Centra on Shandon Street in Cork city centre. (Image: Mac Innes Photography)
Even still, they set an alarm early the following morning to call the National Lottery. Right on time, they got through to the Claims Team, and after a few tense minutes on hold, the confirmation finally came through - 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."
Until the golden ticket could be handed over, the family kept it carefully hidden, tucked inside an A4 sheet beneath a pile of folded laundry in the bedroom. In the days that followed, they took their time to come to terms with the life-changing news.
Determined not to let it overwhelm them, they carried on with their daily routines as normally as possible.
Once the winning ticket was safely in the hands of the National Lottery, they followed advice to seek independent legal and financial guidance and since then, they've been moving forward slowly but steadily, taking each step at their own pace as they adjust to their new reality.
So, what's the first thing they plan to do with their fortune? A family holiday is being planned. "We're absolutely going on a family holiday," he shared.
"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." The jackpot win was the biggest in Irish history
But the generosity doesn't stop there. The family plans to support their wider family members including children, grandchildren, close friends, and several charities that are close to their hearts.
When asked if they had any extravagant plans, they laughed and admitted they hadn't anything outrageous in mind just 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."
Despite the life-changing sum, the family insists they're staying grounded. "We're planning to remain in Ireland, and we promised ourselves that we won't let this win change us."
Another added with a laugh, "I'll still be having my favourite ham and cheese sambo for lunch every day!"
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