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Bere Island, Cork David OBrien via Shutterstock

'It's been an absolutely crazy week': Bere Island's syndicate collects Euromillions winnings

The winner of the €500,000 Euromillions ticket sold on Bere Island on 19 September.

Updated at 2.15pm

A LOTTERY SYNDICATE who won the €500,000 Euromillions ticket sold on Bere Island in Cork has collected the winning cheque at the National Lottery offices in Dublin.

The members of the group say they wish to keep their identities anonymous. However, each winner is a resident on the island, which has a population of just 180 people.

Each syndicate member will receive a share of the winnings.

“It has been an absolutely crazy week,” the syndicate leader said.

The winning Quick Pick ticket was sold on Tuesday 19 September at Bere Island’s local post office in Lawrence Cove.

While the group wish to keep their win private, they admitted that it isn’t a very well kept secret among their neighbours on the island.

“We are extremely grateful for all the support we have received in the past few days and we are planning a big celebration for the entire island once the dust settles,” the syndicate said.

We have a wonderful community spirit on the island and our win will allow us to make some very positive changes there in the coming months.

Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland, the postmistress who sold the golden ticket, Mary Murphy, said she has never experienced a week like it.

“There’s huge excitement. It’s been an amazing week. We’ve never had anything like it here,” Murphy said.

“Sky News are here… I’ve had people on to me from Canada and Scotland. I’ve gone all over the world.”

Murphy said that the identity of the winner remains unknown to the islanders, but she wishes to respect the person’s privacy.

“I’m not allowed to comment on it. It’s private and they want to remain anonymous,” she said.

It is a very small place and it is hard, people are speculating but we just have to respect, that’s just the way it is.

The sale of National Lottery tickets was only introduced to Bere Island in late 2016. Murphy only began selling lotto tickets in her post office last October.

“I’m the first post office on the island to sell the first winning Euromillions lotto ticket. It’s been unbelievable, I can’t describe it,” Murphy said.

I’ll just say to everyone, please support your local post office. With the tickets, if you’re not in you can’t win, so keep buying them.

Read: Man in his 40s arrested in connection with the Patricia O’Connor murder investigation

More: Dart delayed on northbound and southbound routes after truck hits bridge

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23 Comments
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    Mute PDiddy
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    Sep 26th 2017, 10:53 AM

    She’s the 1st post office on the island to sell a winning ticket? Surely she’s the only post office on the island?

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    Mute Dara Smith
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    Sep 26th 2017, 12:17 PM

    @PDiddy: I was thinking that too. She hardly means the island of Ireland?

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    Mute Ariana
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    Sep 26th 2017, 12:50 PM

    @PDiddy: going by the RTÉ article, it’s a typo, she said “an island”, not “the island “.

    Excellent work, as always The Journal.

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    Mute Emma
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    Sep 26th 2017, 2:53 PM

    @Christopher Treacy: yep

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    Mute Bobby Neary
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    Sep 26th 2017, 11:07 AM

    Watch out for the boyo wearing a crown and sheepskin coat….thats always the give away sign of the winner

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    Mute Barry O Rourke
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    Sep 26th 2017, 10:53 AM

    They’ll be the ones with the Brown Thomas bags

    105
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    Mute Titus Groan
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    Sep 26th 2017, 10:46 AM

    Only 220 people on Bere Island. I’m sure they can work it out…

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    Mute Tweety McTweeter
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    Sep 26th 2017, 11:08 AM

    It could have been a tourist

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    Mute dannyboy
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    Sep 26th 2017, 12:54 PM

    @Titus Groan: theres only 180 people living on the Island and no it wasnt a tourist….my mother is from the Island born and bred and our cousins have the ferry service, but it wasnt either of them, so double feck !!

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    Mute Honeybadger197
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    Sep 26th 2017, 2:19 PM

    @dannyboy: Can I say I know you and get a discount on the ferry? Thanks in advance.

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    Mute Maurice Bourke
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    Sep 26th 2017, 10:44 AM

    Waking Ned

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    Mute Christy Nolan
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    Sep 26th 2017, 11:02 AM

    Anonymous won. Get the message journal.
    Leave them alone.

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    Mute Sean Kelly
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    Sep 26th 2017, 12:54 PM

    @Christy Nolan: calm down, its just a bit of fun Chris!

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    Mute John C Thomas
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    Sep 26th 2017, 11:17 AM

    You’d think twas 500 million they had won. I can’t see what all the fuss is about. Sky news like???

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    Mute Dr Richard DeWitt
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    Sep 26th 2017, 11:30 AM

    It’s half a million FFS, and they want to remain anonymous, so just leave them alone.

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    Mute winston smith
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    Sep 26th 2017, 1:27 PM

    The Lottery company need to change their policy when it comes to identifying small island or rural shops or post office ticket sellers in order to protect winners anonymity.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Sep 26th 2017, 1:51 PM

    @winston smith: Yes. It’s only money, good luck to them. If they don’t want to be headline news, why not respect that? I mean do RTE turn up at funerals if people leave a lot of money in their wills? At this rate they’ll have to move to Dublin where no one is bothered whether you’re Clinton or Bono so long as you don’t cause traffic congestion.

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    Mute seamus mc manus
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    Sep 26th 2017, 11:46 AM

    Remain anonymous on an island with a small population? Good luck with that

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    Mute Simon
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    Sep 26th 2017, 11:47 AM

    It gives a little encouragement at the bottom to buy your lottery ticket locally to support the post office. The kind of attention the winner receives is the biggest advert going to buy your ticket online. Fecking leave them alone.

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    Mute Paula Nolan
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    Sep 26th 2017, 5:04 PM

    How many in the syndicate and how much each?

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    Mute Moses Spells
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    Dec 9th 2017, 2:00 PM

    Attention: this goes to all euro million players, and am here to inform you about a certain SEER that gives winning number every morning irrespective of the game you play. I was referred to this SEER by a friend and I get to meet with the SEER and I told the SEER how I do always loose in my games and the SEER smiled and told me that is very possible to always win lotto games outside LUCK. he said LOTTO GAMES are more spiritual for the physical eyes to see its winning numbers but only with spiritual eyes, the SEER then gave me a picture of bottle containing a dark liquid substance and told me to use it to wash my face at midnight and for 7 days and also drink that I will begin to see winning numbers, I did and BEHOLD I begins to see things ahead in form of a vision whenever I close my eyes, I start to see winning numbers in my dreams and when I play it the next morning I always win. This is not a joke, I decided to share this info because I want you too who had loose alot in lotto to start winning. So here is the SEER email address- winningspell@gmail.com contact the SEER today and do tell him that Johnson Allen referred you to him so he may listen to you and help you and I promise you that you will be the next to win jackpot and start winning. Merry Xmas in advance.

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    Mute Abe Brennan
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    Sep 27th 2017, 5:23 AM

    On Bere Island one thing is certain, all the winners will be Sullivans and Murphys.

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    Mute Ron North
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    Sep 26th 2017, 9:29 PM

    Lady Mormont will be pleased.

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