The family syndicate has chosen to remain private and explained what they planned to do with the cash
Cathal Ryan and Ben Hurst
14:11, 16 Jul 2025Updated 14:15, 16 Jul 2025
An Irish family won the £213 million Euromillions jackpot – and has now released a statement(Image: Getty Images)
An Irish family syndicate has made history by claiming the country’s largest ever EuroMillions jackpot, pocketing a staggering £213,000,000. Opting for anonymity, the family described their extraordinary experience as “surreal”.
The remarkable story unfolded when one of them ran an errand in Cork and decided to buy a EuroMillions ticket at Clifford’s Centra on Shandon Street. “I saw the sign at the till that the EuroMillions jackpot was €250 million,” a member shared.
“Although I’m a regular player, I hadn’t bought a ticket for the last two draws. I picked one up and honestly, didn’t think much of it.”
That impromptu purchase turned out to be life-altering. “I was watching the Nine O’Clock News and saw that someone in Ireland had the winning EuroMillions ticket. So naturally, I got my ticket and scanned it on the National Lottery app, and a message popped up, ‘You’ve won big, contact the National Lottery.'”
The winner recounted the disbelief: “Obviously, this wasn’t a message that I was used to seeing, so I must have checked it four more times, I just couldn’t believe my eyes!”.
The excitement continued as they shared the news with family. “I ran upstairs to my wife who had just gone to bed and woke her up. We both checked the numbers multiple times on the website.”
The reality of their win left them stunned. “We sat at the edge of the bed, saying ‘Oh my God’ over and over – I reckon we said it about 50 times. We were in total shock, complete disbelief.” He remarked, “As you can imagine, sleep was out of the question that night.”
Despite the restless night, they set an early alarm to contact the National Lottery. They reached the Claims Team promptly and after a nerve-wracking wait on hold, they received the life-changing confirmation – they had won €250 million, the Irish Mirror reported.
“Those few minutes felt like the longest of my life,” the winner shared. “When Ronan from the Claims Team confirmed we were the outright winner, needless to say, we were in total shock all over again.”
The family took extra precautions with their winning ticket, concealing it within an A4 sheet under a stack of laundry in the bedroom until it could be safely delivered to the National Lottery. In the following days, they slowly processed the enormity of their win.
They made a conscious effort to maintain normalcy, continuing with their daily routines despite the excitement. After handing over the ticket to the National Lottery, they sought independent legal and financial advice, and have been cautiously navigating their new circumstances ever since.
And as for their first expenditure?
The winner revealed plans for a family getaway: “We’re absolutely going on a family holiday,” he said.
“We love to travel and there’s so many amazing trips we’ve always dreamed of that we can now make a reality. We’re already looking at holiday homes somewhere in the sun.
“We also feel incredibly fortunate now to be in a position where we can buy homes for our children too.”
The family’s kindness extends further, with plans to support their extended family, including children, grandchildren, close friends, and several charities dear to them.
When questioned about any lavish plans, they chuckled, confessing they haven’t thought of anything extravagant just yet.
A syndicate member revealed, “I always dreamed of owning a Rolex watch, knowing that I could never afford it.
“I went window shopping last week just to have a look and couldn’t believe the price tag of some of the watches. When I phoned my wife to tell her, she said ‘sure you can buy them now if you want’. I don’t think the news has really sunk in yet.”
Despite the substantial windfall, the family is determined to keep their feet on the ground. “We’re planning to remain in Ireland, and we promised ourselves that we won’t let this win change us.”
Another quipped, “I’ll still be having my favourite ham and cheese sambo for lunch every day!”.