“My legs nearly went weak when they told me the ticket was worth €500,000!” – Galway syndicate in shock after big win! 

Roscommon woman claims €135,820 from 1st July Lotto draw

It was a busy day in Lotto HQ with players from all over the country claiming prizes across Lotto and EuroMillions games. 

A Dublin syndicate left Lotto HQ with the biggest cheque of the day after claiming their €3,931,066 jackpot amount which they won on Saturday night after purchasing their ticket at Pinewood Stores in Balbriggan. 

The syndicate manager admitted that each of the members had a whirlwind of emotions when they heard the news: “I was watching the draw live so I realised that we had the winning ticket on Saturday night. When it came to calling everyone else to tell them, I got a real mix of reactions from them all. I’m not sure if they all believed me immediately but once they all saw the ticket and the results side by side for themselves, the celebrations started. We couldn’t wait to get into the Winners’ Room and hand the ticket in to be honest. The pressure of keeping it safe! For the last few days, I’ve had the ticket hidden in a book I was reading tucked away in the dresser beside my bed. I didn’t want to let it out of my sight,” they said. 

“Now that we have our cheque, the plan now is to take our time and really let the news sink in. It’s been a proper life-changing week and I’m not sure this even feels real yet to be honest. The next thing we’ll definitely do is have a little celebration together.” 

Photo Caption: Shop owner David Fitzgibbon and staff member Joey Kelly were celebrating on Tuesday at Pinewood Stores in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin as it was announced that their store sold Saturday night’s winning Lotto jackpot ticket worth €3,931,066. 

Also claiming a substantial amount at Lottery HQ today was a family syndicate of 4 from Co. Galway who scooped the EuroMillions Plus top prize in the 4th July draw worth a whopping €500,000.  

The family, who wish to keep their win private, purchased the winning Quick Pick ticket at McGreal’s Mace in Ballybrit, Co. Galway.  

The head of the syndicate recounted the moment she bought the ticket and how she found out later that night they had become half a million euro richer: “I headed down to McGreal’s to pick up some milk and pork chops for the dinner. I had a bit of change left over so said I’d buy a EuroMillions Plus ticket. I was over at a friend's house later who checked the ticket for me and my legs nearly went weak when they told me the ticket was worth €500,000! I started ringing around family members to tell them the good news and none of them believed me at first. I’ve a reputation as a bit of a prankster you see. We all gathered together in the house later that night to celebrate and we were dancing up on the tables and singing songs – it was night I’ll never forget!”, she said.  

The family syndicate have no immediate plans to spend their newfound fortune but said a family holiday is definitely on the cards for next year.  

A Roscommon woman got her month off to a winning start and claimed €135,820 after matching five numbers and the bonus in the 1st July Lotto draw.  

“I don’t even know what came over me that night to even play the Lotto. I wouldn’t be a regular player at all and can’t even remember the last time I played. I happened to be in the shop and just said to myself sure I might as well buy a ticket – thank goodness I did!” 

“It was a few days before I even realized I had a winning ticket. I never check my tickets straight away so it was some shock when I finally scanned this one. To see the message ‘You’ve Won Big’ is certainly a surprise and then to hear the amount is another thing. It’s great to finally be able to say I’ve been to the Winners’ Room,” she added. 

Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on all National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage, and the Irish Language. In total more than €6 Billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 35 years ago. In 2021 alone, €304 million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.        

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