THE WINNING ticket of a spectacular €29million EuroMillions Jackpot was sold in Ireland, it has been revealed.
The National Lottery has confirmed it has been contacted by the winner of last Friday’s jackpot, but it is not known yet when the new multimillionaire will come to the National Lottery headquarters in Dublin to claim the prize, or if they will go public.
But the National Lottery has revealed the ticket was purchased in the west of Ireland.
The Garryduff XL Store, of aptly-named Pound Road in Castlebar, Co. Mayo sold the magic Quick Pick ticket, which scooped a lucky player a life-changing windfall.
Incredibly this is the second EuroMillions Jackpot win for Castlebar, and the 11th EuroMillions Jackpot win in Ireland since it began in 2004.
It now brings the total Irish EuroMillions winnings to date to over €1billion.
It's in the west: Castlebar shop sold winning €29m EuroMillions ticket. We speak to the store's owner Umesh Kumar: https://t.co/YgM5vf4Ur5 pic.twitter.com/y26alqIanY
— Morning Ireland (@morningireland) July 11, 2017
The ecstatic owner of the store, Umesh Kumar, said he could not believe it when he was contacted by the National Lottery to say he had sold the golden ticket.
"We had no idea at all. We are all thrilled here at the news. It is a great boost for the area and we are delighted for the winner whoever it is. It will take a while for this to sink in,” he said.
Mr Kumar is originally from near New Delhi in India and he moved to Ireland in 2006 to study an MBA in Dublin.
He is married to Rosalie and they have a two-year-old son Arjun. He employs four staff in his store.
“I love it here and business has been going well since I took over the shop in 2015. This win will put us on the map.”
The latest win comes only weeks after an Irish couple based in Co. Down who founded a repatriation charity after the death of their son abroad have scooped £1,000,000 in the EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker.
Colin and Eithne Bell set up The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust after their 26-year-old son Kevin died in a hit-and-run incident in New York City in 2013.
The harrowing experience of trying to bring Kevin’s body home motivated the couple to set up the fund.
The inspiring couple have helped repatriate the bodies of more than 200 Irish people from abroad in the last four years.
