Members of a Dublin work syndicate who scooped €88.5 million in the EuroMillions jackpot last month have described their “speechless” reaction when they realised they won.
Rumours about the location and identity of the lucky ticketholder abounded far and wide across the country; an unsurprising course of events given that the winners were – and still are – keen to protect their privacy.
The single winning ticket was sold in an Applegreen service station on the M1 motorway in Lusk, Co Dublin, ahead of the January 24th draw.
In a statement released through the National Lottery, the group recalled the moment of discovery and laid out some future plans for the money.
"I was aware that the EuroMillions jackpot was won in Ireland so I had to check the ticket straight away. I scanned the ticket on the National Lottery App and a message flashed up which told me that I had to contact the National Lottery," they said.
‘Incredible feeling’
“When I checked the numbers, I was speechless, I couldn’t believe it. It was such an incredible feeling.
“We are absolutely delighted. We all have bills to pay with mortgages, loans and whatnot so we are looking forward to the financial freedom that comes with a win of this magnitude.
“We will be having a quiet party with family and friends to celebrate our good fortune. We will not be getting carried away with our win and we will return to normal, everyday life as soon as possible,” they said.
The National Lottery said it could not confirm further details about the group, such as how many members there are and what their area of work is.
Their win was the third EuroMillions jackpot to be claimed in Ireland over the last 12 months, and was the third-largest ever in this country behind Limerick woman Dolores McNamara's €115 million prize in 2005 and a ticket worth €94 million sold in Beaumont in 2013.