Pictures: 'Great excitement' as Cork shop celebrates selling €6.9m winning Lotto ticket

Tue, 23 Jun, 2020 - 16:08

Roisin Burke

A “great bit of excitement” is how store owner Noel Murphy described selling a Lotto ticket worth almost €7m in Togher.

Mr Murphy, who has been running Murphy’s Circle K service station since 1995 on Cork’s southside, said everyone was “on a fierce high altogether” from the win.

The shop owner, who found out Monday evening, the Lotto had been won by one of his customers said he had no inclination that it was his store that sold the golden ticket.

Store owner Noel Murphy celebrates with staff Sharon Lynam and Laura O'Leary at the announcement that National Lottery has this morning confirmed that the winning ticket for the Lotto jackpot worth €6,933,904 was sold at Murphy’s Circle K service station on Vicar’s Road, Cork city. Pic Daragh Mc Sweeney for Mac Innes Photography

“Usually, there are rumours, but not this time, I hadn’t heard a thing. It was a great surprise.”

Mr Murphy said he hadn’t any idea who the winner might be, but said he hoped it was someone from their tight-knit community.

“We are here in the middle of the community. We have a lot of regular customers. I hope it is someone local. Some people might want to keep it quiet and I wouldn’t blame them.”

The store owner said some people said it was too much money for one person, but if you have family, you wouldn’t be long splitting it up.

“I wouldn’t know what to buy with it, but I’m sure I would find something! It would be a nice dilemma to have!”

Store owner Noel Murphy celebrates with staff Sharon Lynam, Amy Cunningham, Harry Murphy and Laura O'Leary at the announcement that National Lottery has this morning confirmed that the winning ticket for the Lotto jackpot worth €6,933,904 was sold at Murphy’s Circle K service station on Vicar’s Road, Cork city. Pic Daragh Mc Sweeney for Mac Innes Photography

Mr Murphy said the store will also get a bonus for selling the ticket, but he wouldn’t be jetting off into the sunset just yet.

“We get a nice sum of money for selling the ticket, but the publicity and the feel-good factor are more important.”

The shop keeper said he would be treating his staff to a night out when things are back to normal for all their hard work.

“My staff have been fantastic, they worked through the pandemic and thankfully we had no problems.”

Since the Lotto game began in 1985, there have been 175 jackpot winners from Cork with jackpot prizes totalling over €266 million.

This latest Lotto win is the sixth jackpot win this year, with over €30 million won in jackpot prizes alone.

In 2020, over €67 million has been won in prizes in the Lotto game which includes 11 new millionaires which have been created in the Lotto and Lotto Plus games.