BREAKING: 'I put the ticket in a jar and buried it in the garden': Limerick winner of €5.5m Lotto jackpot

EMOTIONS were running high in the National Lottery’s headquarters this Tuesday afternoon when a syndicate of two from county Limerick collected their life-changing winnings of €5,501,086.

They won the incredible sum in the Lotto jackpot draw on September 25.  

“I was watching the draw live on TV, and when the numbers appeared on the screen, I had to pause it straight away," said one of the joint winners.

"It took a few glances, but I knew they were my numbers. Initially, we were quiet, but one of us was jumping around in excitement while the other was numb in total disbelief – we had two very different reactions, but it was just unforgettable”, said one syndicate member. 

Reliving the moment, they added: “Fair City was on after the draw, but I don’t remember anything from that episode! Even when we went to bed that night, neither of us could sleep – it was such a shock to the system.” 

When asked how they had been looking after their winning ticket, purchased from Mace, Kildimo, the response was certainly unique for the National Lottery team.

“We had an empty jar left over from one of our dinners or something, so we cleaned it out and I put the ticket in the jar and buried it in the garden. It’s been there for weeks! We haven’t touched it until now - I was outside digging it up last night to bring it up to Dublin today!” they laughed.  

The pair have been playing the same lotto numbers for years and reckon they’ll continue to play every now and then after hitting the jackpot.

Although they have no immediate plans to celebrate their newfound fortune, they agreed to travel around the world and take life a little easier.  

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A family syndicate from Laois is also celebrating after they picked up a cheque worth €250,000 which they won in the Lotto Plus 2 draw on Saturday, September 28. The winning ticket was purchased at SuperValu in Rathdowney, Co. Laois. 

“Every Saturday, when I go out and do the groceries, I'll pick up a Quick Pick for the Lotto draw that night. I was scrolling through my phone the following evening and saw that a winning ticket for €250,000 was sold in Laois, so that prompted me to go check my ticket online. When I saw the notification that I had a “big win”, I just knew that was it. It was very surreal”, one member of the syndicate said.

The duo is happy to sit on their life-enhancing prize for the meantime, but plan to put some of their fortune towards a trip away in the future.  

Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on all National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage, and the Irish Language.

In total, more than €6.5 billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 37 years ago. In 2023 alone, €227.9 million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.