6 days ago
‘Still be having ham & cheese sambos' – Winners of record €250m EuroMillions jackpot make cash ‘won't change us' vow
THE winners of Ireland's biggest ever Lotto jackpot have promised that the "surreal" win won't change them, insisting: 'I'll still be having my favourite ham and cheese sambo for lunch every day."
The family syndicate, who finally came forward to collect their life-changing €250 million prize, have revealed their anxiety while waiting to contact
3
The record-breaking €250m winning EuroMillions ticket was sold at Clifford's Centra on Shandon Street in Cork city
Credit: Pic Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision
Following a sleepless night after their mega
The group, who wish to remain anonymous, could only react by saying, 'Oh my god', over and over - but now they have set their sights on bagging something they've "always dreamed of owning".
Yet, despite managing to secure the life-changing nine-figure sum, the winners insist: "We're planning to remain in Ireland, and we promised ourselves that we won't let this win change us."
The ticket was purchased by a member of the group in Clifford's Centra on Shandon Street, Co Cork when they went to run a simple errand.
READ MORE IN MONEY
And the fortunate ticketholders have now revealed how the unbelievable night unfolded.
They said: 'I saw the sign at the till that the EuroMillions jackpot was €250 million.
'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.'
'I was watching the Nine O'Clock
Most read in The Irish Sun
"So naturally, I got my ticket and scanned it on the National
"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!'
Homeless man scores 'life-changing' $1m lottery jackpot - but winner facing 'very thorough vetting process'
And he added that it took the family a while to fully grasp what had happened.
The winner continued: '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.
SLEEPLESS NIGHT
'As you can imagine, sleep was out of the question that night."
The syndicate members set an early alarm so that they could call the Lotto as soon as possible.
After a short hold the group were in touch with the claims team, who confirmed that they had won the €250million.
They said: "Those few minutes felt like the longest of my life.
'When Ronan from the Claims Team confirmed we were the outright winner, needless to say, we were in total shock all over again.'
They lucky group also shared their plans for spending some of their new-found wealth.
'INCREDIBLY FORTUNATE'
The group explained: '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
'I always dreamed of owning a Rolex watch, knowing that I could never afford it.
"I went window
"When I phoned my wife to tell her, she said, 'Sure you can buy them now if you want.'"
'HASN'T SUNK IN YET'
They added: 'I don't think the news has really sunk in yet."
But the family vowed that the life changing sum won't change them as they plan to stay in the country.
They said: "We're planning to remain in Ireland, and we promised ourselves that we won't let this win change us.
'I'll still be having my favourite ham and cheese sambo for lunch every day.'
3
Centra Store Manager Simon Champ was delighted for the winners
Credit: nsphoto2@
3
The winning ticket was bought when one of the group went into the shop to run an errand
Credit: Pic Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision
