‘This is tremendous, and very unreal’

Delighted Mayo family collects bumper Lotto jackpot

Lucky family ‘really thrilled and completely surprised’ at €13,793,435 windfall

Michael Duffy

A family from Co Mayo this afternoon collected one of the ten biggest ever Lotto jackpots at National Lottery Headquarters in Dublin. A cheque for €13,793,435 was collected by the family, who wish to remain anonymous. The jackpot, which was rolling since November 18, 2015, is among the ten highest Lotto jackpots to be won since the game began in 1988.
The family declared themselves ‘really thrilled, and completely surprised’. “We play Lotto all the time, and have had some small wins, but this is tremendous, and very unreal,” said the lucky wife.
“We played a €10 Quick Pick ticket in Carey’s in Belmullet for the big jackpot on Saturday last. We’re really thrilled for Carey’s as well, and delighted that the biggest jackpot of the year came to Mayo. Normally, we play family numbers, but just because it was such a big jackpot, we decided to play a Quick Pick. Look what happened!” she added.

Sporting chance
Speaking with a glass of champagne in the Lottery Winner Suite, the lucky husband said: “We needed to check the ticket online so many times on Sunday evening, once we realised the winning ticket had been sold in Mayo, and then in Belmullet. It’s a small place, so we knew we had a sporting chance of being the lucky ones, but you really never, ever think that it will be you.”
The couple and their family have no idea what they’ll do with their fortune. They did reveal some plans, however.
“Top of the wish list for us as a family is a skiing holiday, as we’ve never been,” said the husband.
“Hopefully, we’ll be on the slopes and doing the apres-ski thing by this time next month! Obviously, we want to help family with mortgages and bills and what have you. And I want to go to the Euro finals in France later this year, so now I can afford to do that.”
The winning wife had some more prudent plans for the winnings.
“We’re going to bank the jackpot straight away, have a lovely celebratory dinner this weekend, and think about what we’re going to do,” she said. “We both work full-time, and don’t intend giving up our work. We do intend using this win to make our lives, and those of our families, more secure financially. It’s just great to know that there’s plenty available for a rainy day for everyone we care about,” she concluded.