Updated at 2.15pm
A LOTTERY SYNDICATE who won the €500,000 Euromillions ticket sold on Bere Island in Cork has collected the winning cheque at the National Lottery offices in Dublin.
The members of the group say they wish to keep their identities anonymous. However, each winner is a resident on the island, which has a population of just 180 people.
Each syndicate member will receive a share of the winnings.
“It has been an absolutely crazy week,” the syndicate leader said.
The winning Quick Pick ticket was sold on Tuesday 19 September at Bere Island’s local post office in Lawrence Cove.
While the group wish to keep their win private, they admitted that it isn’t a very well kept secret among their neighbours on the island.
“We are extremely grateful for all the support we have received in the past few days and we are planning a big celebration for the entire island once the dust settles,” the syndicate said.
We have a wonderful community spirit on the island and our win will allow us to make some very positive changes there in the coming months.
Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland, the postmistress who sold the golden ticket, Mary Murphy, said she has never experienced a week like it.
“There’s huge excitement. It’s been an amazing week. We’ve never had anything like it here,” Murphy said.
“Sky News are here… I’ve had people on to me from Canada and Scotland. I’ve gone all over the world.”
Murphy said that the identity of the winner remains unknown to the islanders, but she wishes to respect the person’s privacy.
“I’m not allowed to comment on it. It’s private and they want to remain anonymous,” she said.
It is a very small place and it is hard, people are speculating but we just have to respect, that’s just the way it is.
The sale of National Lottery tickets was only introduced to Bere Island in late 2016. Murphy only began selling lotto tickets in her post office last October.
“I’m the first post office on the island to sell the first winning Euromillions lotto ticket. It’s been unbelievable, I can’t describe it,” Murphy said.
I’ll just say to everyone, please support your local post office. With the tickets, if you’re not in you can’t win, so keep buying them.
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