National Lottery congratulates Co Armagh EuroMillions winners as they collect prize worth almost €130m

Pictured: EuroMillions winners Frances and Patrick Connolly with their cheque

National Lottery CEO, Dermot Griffin, today offered his congratulations to the Armagh couple who scooped £114.9 million (€127.6 million) on the New Year’s Day EuroMillions draw.

Mr. Griffin said he is delighted to have such a big win on the island of Ireland and hoped the luck of the Irish continues into the future.

“We wish Frances and Patrick Conolly the best of luck with this life-changing win. They have become the fourth biggest UK lottery winners in history, and the biggest winners on the island of Ireland topping Limerick woman Dolores McNamara who won €115 million on the EuroMillions jackpot back in 2005.” he said.

Mr Griffin also reminded National Lottery players in Ireland that almost 30 cent in every euro spent on Irish National Lottery games goes back to communities in the areas of sport, health, arts, culture, heritage, youth, community and the Irish language. Last year alone more than €227 million was raised for Good Causes, or over €620,000 a day.

“EuroMillions has been a great success in Ireland with 13 Irish EuroMillions winners since the game was launched here in 2004. EuroMillions has been very important to us in generating funds for Good Causes. Thanks to our players for contributing to communities in Ireland.”

The EuroMillions draw takes place twice a week – on Tuesdays and Fridays. Tonight’s EuroMillions jackpot is a massive €17 million and tickets can be bought in store, at lottery.ie or through the National Lottery App.

Of the 13 EuroMillions wins in Ireland to date three have gone public. The first was Dolores McNamara who was a single winner. The other two public winners were syndicates – a Dublin Bus syndicate who won €23.8 million in July 2016 and a syndicate from Stakelum’s Hardware in Thurles, Co.Tipperary, who won €17 million in June last year.

Here is the roll call of the lucky thirteen Irish EuroMillions jackpot winners in Ireland to date:

July 2005: Dolores McNamara from Limerick, was Ireland’s first and biggest EuroMillions winner scooping over €115 million. PUBLIC
July 2008: A lucky player from Co. Tipperary won a €15 million jackpot with a ticket bought in Carrick-on-Suir in Co. Tipperary.
June 2009: A family syndicate shared the jackpot with a British winner, taking home over €29.4 million with a ticket they purchased in Dublin.
June 2013: A winning ticket sold in Beaumount, Dublin, shared a EuroMillions jackpot worth over €187 million. A Dublin player earned half of the jackpot and picked up over €93 million.
September 2013: A young man from the South East shared a jackpot of over €25 million with a player in Spain, taking home over €12.8 million.
April 2014: A jackpot prize worth €15 million was claimed on a ticket sold in Castlebar, Co. Mayo.
September 2014: An €86.7 million jackpot was won by a syndicate from Dublin. The ticket was sold in Centra, Ballybrack, Co. Dublin.
January 2016: A syndicate of friends won over €66 million, splitting the jackpot of €132,376,632. The ticket was sold in Eason’s store, Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow.
July 2016: 22 colleagues from Dublin Bus won the €23.8 million. The ticket was sold in O’Hanlon’s Portarlington. Public
January 2017: A Dublin work syndicate claimed the €88.5 million EuroMillions jackpot. The winning ticket was sold at the Applegreen Service Station on the M1 Northbound in Lusk, Co. Dublin.
July 2017: A syndicate from the West of Ireland won a €29 million EuroMillions jackpot. The ticket was sold in Garryduff XL Store on Pound Road, Castlebar in Co. Mayo.
December 2017: A small family syndicate from Dublin won €38.9 million on a ticket purchased in The Village Shop in Malahide Shopping Centre
In June 2018: 32 colleagues from Stakelums Hardware store in Thurles Co. Tipperary share a €17 million EuroMillions jackpot with a ticket they purchased at Eason’s Store in Thurles Shopping Centre in Co. Tipperary. Public