Family still in shock after hitting £34m lotto jackpot

A FAMILY who scooped the latest EuroMillions jackpot to be won in the Republic of Ireland is coming to terms with the “life-changing” news.

Lottery chiefs said the €38.9million (£34.34m) prize from December 29 went to a “small family syndicate” who collected their cheque in private in Dublin.

The family, who bought the winning ticket in The Village Shop in Malahide shopping centre on the day of the draw, said they found out they had won when they checked the numbers in the same shop the next day.

They are thinking about buying a new house, they would like to start a business and they are planning a holiday in the Bahamas or the Maldives.

One of the group said: “This is life-changing. It is amazing to think that we and our family members are now secure for the rest of our lives. But we won’t go crazy. We have no plans to move to the moon.”

The family, who wish to remain private, said the last week has been a blur as they collected the cheque at National Lottery headquarters in Dublin.

The spokesman said they were slowly coming to terms with their massive good fortune.

A family member said: “I checked my ticket as normal in a shop the morning after the draw. A message came up to contact the National Lottery. I knew then we had won. I was dizzy,” he said.

The ticketholder went home and told the rest of the family.

“We stayed in all day. There were lots of emotions. We kept looking at each other laughing and crying,” he said. “You always hope that some day you would win a jackpot, but never really believe it will happen.”