€5.8 million Lotto winner will cook Christmas dinner as normal

After windfall, Limerick winner promises to keep working but looks forward to some sun

Staff at the GPO in Limerick celebrating the Lotto win. Roger Mc Mahon, manager, with Audrey Downes, Aileen Sheehan, Rose Leahy, Eamon Leen and Lisa O’Donnell with Mary Grace and Fran Whearty both from the National Lottery. Photograph: Liam Burke/Mac Innes Photography
Staff at the GPO in Limerick celebrating the Lotto win. Roger Mc Mahon, manager, with Audrey Downes, Aileen Sheehan, Rose Leahy, Eamon Leen and Lisa O’Donnell with Mary Grace and Fran Whearty both from the National Lottery. Photograph: Liam Burke/Mac Innes Photography

A Limerick Lotto player who scooped a jackpot worth almost €6 million will cook the Christmas as normal later this month.

The winner will also continue to work for the foreseeable future although they will allow themselves a post-Christmas trip to Barbados, and look forward to buying up a property in the sun.

The holder of the winning ticket of last Saturday's €5.8 million jackpot was said to be in great spirits on Friday morning when they arrived at the National Lottery headquarters to collect their winnings.

The person, who has chose to remain anonymous, said that while early retirement had not been on the horizon they were “definitely going to take it a few years early” thanks to the windfall and looked forward to clearing the mortgage.

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The winner only checked their ticket last Sunday when they heard on Limerick Live that the winning ticket had been sold in the area. “I went out and checked the ticket using the Lottery App and low and behold it was me”!

The winner said the feeling was “still indescribable” and compared it to “an out-of-body experience. It’s fantastic - and to happen just before Christmas. The whole family will be getting slightly more extravagant Christmas presents than originally planned.”

A trip to the Caribbean is now on the cards but before the latest Lotto millionaire can think of sun, sea and sand, there is one more important job that they can’t escape from. “I still have to cook Christmas dinner for the entire family but this year my win will make it a lot more pleasant,” the winner said.

The winning ticket was bought at the GPO on Cecil Street in Limerick city and this Lotto jackpot win is the 11th of 2017.

Conor Pope

Conor Pope

Conor Pope is Consumer Affairs Correspondent, Pricewatch Editor