Lucky Limerick Lotto winner plans to buy new car for his girlfriend who is learning to drive

A lucky Limerick man got his Christmas off to the perfect start today when he called into National Lottery HQ to claim the top prize of €250,000 from last Saturday’s Lotto Plus 2 draw.

The delighted player revealed the first thing he is going to do with his winnings is donate an amount to a children’s charity. And second on his Christmas present list is to buy a new car for his girlfriend, who is learning to drive.

The winner, who purchased his golden quick pick ticket in Tesco’s Supermarket in the Crescent Shopping Centre In Dooradoyle, revealed he initially thought he had won the Lotto Jackpot of €5 million!

He said: “I have a tradition that I scan my Lotto tickets every Sunday morning in the kitchen with my girlfriend. Last Sunday she was upstairs so I scanned the ticket on my own and I got a message to say congratulations I had won a big prize and to contact the National Lottery. I was convinced I had won the jackpot and when I checked the results I saw it was the Lotto Plus 2.  But it is still a terrific win.“

The player, who did not want to go public, said the win will certainly make life more comfortable and give him more security. “It won’t change me or my life - everything will continue as normal but it is a great cushion to have and it will also mean an extra special Christmas.”