'We’re looking at holiday homes in the sun': Family syndicate collect €250m lotto jackpot

A family syndicate from Ireland who won the largest EuroMillions jackpot prize in the nation’s history have collected their winnings and spoken for the first time about their plans for the future.

Clifford’s Centra on Shandon Street in Cork city was the shop which sold the €250 million jackpot-winning ticket.

The winners, who have chosen to remain anonymous, described their journey to the life-changing windfall as “surreal”.

It all began with a simple errand. One family member had an appointment in Cork and stopped into Clifford’s Centra on Shandon Street to pick up a few messages.

“I saw the sign at the till that the EuroMillions jackpot was €250 million” said one family member. “Although I’m a regular player, I hadn’t bought a ticket for the last two draws. I picked one up and honestly, didn’t think much of it.”

That spontaneous decision would soon turn their world upside down.

“I was watching the Nine O’Clock News and saw that someone in Ireland had the winning EuroMillions ticket. So naturally, I got my ticket and scanned it on the National Lottery app, and a message popped up, ‘You’ve won big, contact the National Lottery.’ Obviously, this wasn’t a message that I was used to seeing, so I must have checked it 4 more times, I just couldn't believe my eyes!” the ticketholder told the National Lottery in an interview.

“I ran upstairs to my wife who had just gone to bed and woke her up. We both checked the numbers multiple times on the website. We sat at the edge of the bed, saying ‘Oh my god’ over and over – I reckon we said it about fifty times. We were in total shock, complete disbelief.”

He added: “As you can imagine, sleep was out of the question that night.”

Even still, they set an alarm early the following morning to call the National Lottery. Right on time, they got through to the claims team, and after a few tense minutes on hold, the confirmation finally came through - they were officially the winners of €250 million.

“Those few minutes felt like the longest of my life,” the winner recalled. “When Ronan from the claims team confirmed we were the outright winner, needless to say, we were in total shock all over again.”

Until the golden ticket could be handed over, the family kept it carefully hidden, tucked inside an A4 sheet beneath a pile of folded laundry in the bedroom. In the days that followed, they took their time to come to terms with the life-changing news. Determined not to let it overwhelm them, they carried on with their daily routines as normally as possible.

Once the winning ticket was safely in the hands of the National Lottery, they followed advice to seek independent legal and financial guidance and since then, they’ve been moving forward slowly but steadily, taking each step at their own pace as they adjust to their new reality.

So, what’s the first thing they plan to do with their fortune?

“We’re absolutely going on a family holiday. We love to travel and there’s so many amazing trips we’ve always dreamed of that we can now make a reality. We’re already looking at holiday homes somewhere in the sun.”

“We also feel incredibly fortunate now to be in a position where we can buy homes for our children too.”

But the generosity doesn’t stop there. The family plans to support their wider family members including children, grandchildren, close friends, and several charities that are close to their hearts.

When asked if they had any extravagant plans, they laughed and admitted they hadn’t anything outrageous in mind just yet.

One member of the syndicate shared: “I always dreamed of owning a Rolex watch, knowing that I could never afford it. I went window shopping last week just to have a look and couldn’t believe the price tag of some of the watches. When I phoned my wife to tell her, she said ‘sure you can buy them now if you want’!”

“I don’t think the news has really sunk in yet.”

Despite the life-changing sum, the family insists they’re staying grounded. “We’re planning to remain in Ireland, and we promised ourselves that we won’t let this win change us.

Another added with a laugh: “I'll still be having my favourite ham and cheese sambo for lunch every day!”

The family are the 18th Irish winner and the largest ever Irish win of the EuroMillions jackpot.

The winning numbers from the draw were 13, 22, 23, 44 and 49, with lucky stars 3 and 5.

The last Irish winner of the EuroMillions jackpot was in February 2022, when a person won €30.9 million with a quick pick ticket they purchased at a service station in Ballina, Co Tipperary.