The winners of the £216million EuroMillions jackpot have revealed their plans for their fortune while admitting they will keep a surprising part of their life the same.
The family, who have chosen to remain anonymous, bagged the largest EuroMillions prize in Irish history after purchasing a ticket at Clifford’s Centra on Shandon Street in Cork City.
And although travel, homes for their children, and a potential Rolex are on the cards for the family, they said they do not have anything ‘outrageous’ planned yet.
But despite the unexpected windfall, the family said they plan to stay down to earth.
‘We’re planning to remain in Ireland, and we promised ourselves that we won’t let this win change us,’ a family member said.
Another added: ‘I’ll still be having my favourite ham and cheese sambo for lunch every day.’
‘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.’
Although a regular player, one family member said they had not bought a ticket for the previous two draws.
But while watching the news, the lucky ticketholder saw that someone located in Ireland had won.
‘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”,’ he told the Irish Times.
In disbelief, they ran upstairs to his wife before double-checking the numbers multiple times across the EuroMillions website.
The next morning the winners rang the National Lottery and waited several minutes before receiving confirmation they had won £216million.
Those few minutes felt like the longest of my life,’ the winner said, adding that they were in ‘total shock all over again,’ after it was confirmed.
The family kept the winning ticket safely stashed inside an A4 sheet beneath a pile of folded laundry until it could be handed over while attempting to carry on with normal life as best as they could.
Once the ticket was handed over, the family sought advice from legal and financial advisors.
The winners said they feel fortunate to now be in a position where they can buy homes for their children. They also plan to support wider family members and several charities.
One member of the family said they always dreamed of owning a Rolex watch, adding that they went ‘window shopping last week’.
The winning numbers were 13, 22, 23, 44, 49, Lucky Stars 3 and 5.
