While the rest of us navigate the Monday blues after a scorcher of a weekend, it’s been a fantastic start to the week for one woman in East Cork who today claimed a life-changing prize after her big cash machine win.

Played across a network of radio stations here in Ireland, the cash machine allows listeners to enter for a small fee to be in with a chance of winning serious money. All they have to do is give the correct figure when they get the call, and thankfully for Youghal’s Siobhán O’Brien, she was right on the money.

Siobhán O’Brien got the fateful call on Friday afternoon as she and her family were in the car dropping her sister off for a night on the town. The pressure was on as it’s the biggest sum ever offered in the cash machine, but Siobhán was quick to give the right answer – a whopping sum of €310,000.

Now today she made her way into RedFM’s studio here in Cork city, bringing the whole family along to pick up the cheque.

“This is the most people we’ve ever had in the studio for anything. Are they all here because you have to divvy up the €310,000?” joked RedFM’s KC as he and Siobhán went live on air.

“I’m so happy for you. You’ve got your mom, your sisters, partner, friends, cousins, uncles, aunts – half of Youghal is here with us this morning.”

Siobhán explained that she had only just returned from Australia and is here in Ireland on holiday for the next 6 weeks, which makes the win even more extraordinary. Now, after the unexpected cash boost, plans are changing, and Siobhán says that she’s been ‘celebrating non-stop’ over the weekend.

“It’s been amazing, everyone has been giving me well wishes, congratulations, I’ve been celebrating with family, and it just makes it all the sweeter,” Siobhán said.

“[When the call came in] we were dropping my sister to Cork, my phone was under my leg on silent, and I could feel it vibrating, my mam was like ‘your phone is ringing’, and when I picked it up, there was no caller ID, and she was like ‘answer, answer’

“I answered it straight away, and I knew the voice, and I was like ‘oh my god, I can’t believe this is happening to me.'”

When asked what the plan is for the money, Siobhán explained: “So the plan is to get the family, my mom, dad and sister, out to Australia for a holiday and then come back sooner than expected to start my life here in Ireland.”

There were cheers all around in the studio when KC officially handed over the cheque, officially making Siobhán the winner of the biggest ever cash machine prize on Irish radio.

It’s actually the second time in a row that Cork has smashed the cash machine record. Earlier this year, the O’Riordan family from Ballincollig claimed an incredible €305,000 after getting the fateful call and answering correctly.

Donal O’Riordan, who received the call, said it was “such a special moment” for him, his wife Susan, and his son Zack, who has special needs. The family said they would use some of the cash for the holiday of a lifetime, a trip to Disneyland.

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