THE luck is in for one west of Ireland island after a lotto syndicate won €500,000 on the EuroMillions.
The winning quick pick ticket was sold last week on Bere Island in west Cork, where the population is 180.
The lottery syndicate - who wish to remain anonymous but are residents on the island - collected the winning cheque at the National Lottery's headquarters in Dublin yesterday, according to RTÉ.
Each syndicate member will receive a share of the €500,000 win which has been described as "life changing and substantial."
The syndicate members say they are planning a celebration for everyone on Bere Island "once the dust settles," and they acknowledged the support they have received from local people in keeping their identities secret.
They praised the community spirit on the island, and said they planned to make some very positive changes there in the coming months.
They said they have had a crazy week, and described news of their win as "the worst-kept secret on the island."
Mary Murphy, who has been the postmistress at Lawrence Cove post office since 1978, said it had been 'amazing' since selling the winning ticket last week.
500,000 reasons to celebrate! Post Mistress Mary Murphy has sold a half a million euro @EuropeanLotto ticket on #BereIsland #Cork. @rtenews pic.twitter.com/CRUHLZKgDW
— Paschal Sheehy (@PaschalSheehy) September 20, 2017
"I'm the first post office on an island to sell a winning EuroMillions lotto ticket. It's been unbelievable, I can't describe it, I've never had anything like it in my life.
"I only started selling tickets last October - it's amazing isn't it? If you're not in, you can't win."
