Ireland

EuroMillions winner finding €500,000 win `hard to take in'

The retired man from Donegal won €500,000
The retired man from Donegal won €500,000 The retired man from Donegal won €500,000

A DONEGAL man is Ireland's latest big EuroMillions lottery winner after taking home a cheque for €500,000.

The retired man, who wants to remain anonymous, bought his ticket in the Paper Stop shop on Main Street in Glenties, a village with a population of about 800.

He matched all five numbers on the EuroMillions Plus draw on April 26.

Joined by family members at National Lottery headquarters to celebrate his win, he admitted that he was struggling to take the monumental event in.

"You know it's just all so much to process. I'm looking at all those zeros on the cheque but it will take a few days for this to properly sink in," he said.

"My wife was listening to the radio on the Saturday morning and she heard the news of the EuroMillions win in the Glenties and she shouted in `was that you who won'.

"I shouted back ‘I don't know, I'm heading to the shops now and I'll let you know when I get back'. I went out to get my usual shopping and checked my ticket in a store and it told me to contact the National Lottery. Without even checking the numbers I knew it was me then and there."

He added that he was going to take a bit of time to take it all in before making some plans.

"I am retired so I want for nothing and this will be a nice comfort for myself and my family. We're absolutely thrilled with it," he said.