Connemara Chamber raise over €1.8 million as Wisconsin man wins dream home in Clifden fundraising draw

Douglas Berg from Wisconsin, USA but with Irish connections is the owner of a magnificent 3-bedroom luxurious duplex apartment in Clifden, Connemara, Co Galway on the Wild Atlantic Way after winning the hugely exciting Win a Home in Clifden fundraising draw. He was the first ticket out of the drum at the big finale at the magnificent Clifden Station House Theatre on Thursday night.

“I just couldn’t believe it when I got the call. It’s a fantastic apartment in such a beautiful location. It’s always been a dream of mine to buy a property in Ireland,” said Douglas whose great great grandfather was Robert Barry from Carna and great great grandmother was Barbara Conneely from Lettermullan. His great grandfather was William Barry from Inverin.

Douglas has been to Ireland numerous times over the years and is a regular visitor and friend of the Emigrants and Diaspora Centre in Carna which is run by well known Galway journalist Máirtín Ó Catháin who is a cousin of the winner and was in the audience for the big draw finale.

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In just over four months, Connemara Chamber raised over €1.8 million which has proved to be one of the most successful fundraising draws ever to take place on this Island. “I just want to thank everybody who supported us and bought tickets since we launched our campaign last April. The response locally, nationally and overseas has just been incredible,” said John Sweeney, Chairperson of Connemara Chamber and the Win A Home in Clifden project. 

All proceeds from the draw are going towards the development of a state-of-the-art community and enterprise hub in the centre of Clifden, a project led by the Connemara Chamber. The hub will provide vital professional resources and support to local businesses, fostering efficiency, productivity and innovation, and creating new opportunities for the entire community.

“I’d also like to thank our members and all the local businesses who helped us along the way. A special word of thanks must go to the the brilliant team who worked tirelessly on this draw including Terry O’Toole, Damien Joyce, Simon Ashe, Conall Joyce, Sadhbh O’Gorman, Bernie Collins, Nicole Bann, Michelle Price, Aidan Brady (Aidan Brady and Co. Ltd), Cormac Donoghue (JEL Marketing) and Paul Byrnes Media,” added John.

Tickets were bought in all 32 counties and in 40 countries around the world including the UK, across Europe and Asia. Tickets were also sold in Australia and in all 50 American states. The full draw and details of all the prize winners are on the website www.winahomeinclifden.com.