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THE LARGE NORTH Dublin family who won the €175 million EuroMillions jackpot have claimed their prize, the National Lottery has confirmed.
The family syndicate, who decided to keep their prize collection private, were presented with their winning cheque by National Lottery CEO, Dermot Griffin, in the National Lottery offices yesterday.
The winners from the Naul in north Dublin described themselves as a “very close family” and pledged to split the win between different members.
‘Life-changing’
Family spokesperson, Gerry Brown, said the family are now looking forward to getting on with their lives after what has been an exciting week.
This is life-changing for all of the family and we are absolutely thrilled. We have spent the last week getting independent legal and financial advice, and our win is slowly sinking in. We are a very close family and this is a dream come true for us. We want this win to change our lives in a positive way.
In an interview on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, Brown said the family syndicate has been up and running a couple of years.
Explaining how they discovered the big win, Brown said his wife was watching the news on the night when she recognised three of their numbers.
For safekeeping, they kept the winning ticket in an Argos catalogue overnight.
The winning €14 quick pick was sold at Reilly’s Daybreak in Naul, Co Dublin which Brown says is 500 metres from their house.
He told O’Rourke that not one person in the community told the media who the family were.
We live nearest the shop, all the reporters that were there, not one of them told them where we lived.
Brown added that since the win the whole family is “kind of retired” but that they don’t plan on moving out of Naul.
“If you’re happy there why would you go anywhere you don’t even know,” Brown said.
‘Happy days’
The €175.4 million Euromillions jackpot is the biggest winning prize in the history of the Irish National Lottery.
The last highest winning Irish Euromillions winner was Limerick Dolores McNamara, who picked up €115 million in the jackpot in 2005.
With the winnings, Brown says he plans on buying a push bike.
Part of a local cycling group, Brown said he’s looking forward to having a new bike which he says could cost up to €15,000.
But the family spokesperson said the best part of the winning such a large jackpot is that he can look after his kids, grandkids and family.
“If I’d won it 30 years ago, it might be different … the best thing of the whole lot is what you can do for other people,” he said.
National Lottery CEO, Dermot Griffin, congratulated the family on the biggest Lottery jackpot ever won in Ireland.
Happy days like this is part of what playing National Lottery games is all about. This has been a historic few weeks for us with our biggest ever jackpot payout.
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I wish them all the best with their winnings, but they must be mad going public!
@Maximus Decimus Meridius: I didn’t think they went public with it?
@Maximus Decimus Meridius: they didn’t
@Gisbert Bayertz: no, but the rag news papers didn’t give them much choice, they published photos and names.
@Maximus Decimus Meridius: Read the story.
@James Wallace: You definitely didn’t read the article
@John: the newspapers published the names before the family made any public statement. Nothing I’ve said contradicts the article?
@Maximus Decimus Meridius: read the story !!,!!
@Maximus Decimus Meridius: hardly a challenge to find 10 new mercs around The Naul
@John O Brien: they have gone public and they live 500 m from the shop! Have you read the article?
So delighted for them and the fact that they shared it with the rest of the family shows the decent kind of people they are. I wish them the best for the future.
@Tim Carey: Well said, decent people indeed
Straight down to a few car dealerships, architects and private travel companies :)
I have been secretly dreaming all week that it was me that won now that the cheque has been collected I am going to wake up, however I wish the winners all the best with it.
Delighted for them!
Wow, delighted for them! And hope they will have a fantastic life together after this huge win!
I hope it brings them a life time of joy and happiness. A long with many a good times with the family :)
Delighted for them. Straight off to Australia pay the 1 million bucks for citizenship and build a massive mansion and a lambergini. I’d also invest in social housing in my own city and build a massive apartment complex and give a few donations to SVP, Down Syndrome Ireland, and pieta house.
Serious mission. Haha
‘Give me a loan will ya’
@munsterman: yes they will suddenly have a lot more friends too…..
Well done too all that’s a lotto money
They seem like a bunch of level headed people who have their heads screwed on.
More interested in helping their extended family and friends than blowing it all on themselves.
That’s what maturity and life experience does for you.
If they were level-headed they’d have kept it secret.
Now they’re due for a visit from ‘dissidents’ who will be collecting their tax.
Old friends will start coming out of the woodwork ;-)
Invest it, at say a 6% return the wealth will benefit generations of that family in perpetuity. Spend it on bling now and it’s gone forever.
Advise to anyone coming into money like that.. If it Flies, Floats or F’#ks… Rent it.
They seem like a lovely family with their heads screwed on. I wish them all the best. Still wish it was me though (next time)…
How much does the shop get for selling the ticket? The shop owner looks very happy about it.
I know they will be hounded with begging letters but hopefully they will contribute something towards Temple st. hospital. The work they do there is amazing.
The very best of luck to them! Now gimme a €10 grand loan I’m smashed.
I wish them all the best and it seems they are starting out well, but I fear that they will have many new challenges and struggles in their lives. A win like this is the stuff of dreams but the reality does not usually live up to the dream.
That picture is creepy……….
@Cian: It’s a peck on the cheek, you know a sign of affection/happiness type of thing.
Bit weird someone would find it creepy.
If I won it I’d hire Dermot Bannon to build a house for me and spend 3 months arguing with him over a skylight
S
Don’t think they will be able to live in Naul anymore
Seriously why go public!! Can’t think of anything worse!!
When someone wins a large sum of money lotto advisers advise them to declare the win as a syndicate this allows them to spread the money out to their family without paying tax and go public because even of they manage to keep it secret someone sometime will find out and either blackmail you or out you so at least this way you’re in control
It was a quick pick ? You’d be sick if you lived near that day break
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