A couple from County Kerry experienced the ultimate rollercoaster of emotions after winning a staggering €500,000 (approximately £432,000) in a lottery draw, only to nearly lose their life-changing prize when the winning ticket mysteriously vanished hours later.
The Moment of Discovery
The fortunate woman, who was visiting family in Cork at the time, purchased the Euro Millions Plus ticket on impulse from Con's Shop in Cork on January 27th. That same evening, she decided to check the ticket using the National Lottery's official mobile application.
To her astonishment, the app displayed a message stating: "You've won big, contact the National Lottery." Recalling the surreal moment, the winner described her surprisingly calm reaction. "Surprisingly, I was very calm, although at first I had no idea what I'd won, so there was a bit of scrolling and scrambling through the draw results to figure it out," she explained.
A Frantic Search Begins
The initial calm was short-lived. Her partner, aiming to keep the valuable slip secure, had taken it upon himself to hide the ticket for safekeeping. However, later that night, he realised he had concealed it a little too effectively and could not remember its location.
Panic ensued as he tore their kitchen apart in a desperate search. Cupboards were pulled open and contents were frantically examined in the hope of finding the missing ticket. He later admitted he was reluctant to inform his partner that the ticket had disappeared, hoping to recover it first.
Thankfully, the ticket was eventually located, and the couple's terrifying close call was only revealed once the slip was safely back in their possession. They formally claimed their €500,000 prize this week at the National Lottery headquarters in Dublin.
Dreams Coming True
With the prize now securely theirs, the couple from Kerry are planning to fulfill a long-held ambition. "We're heading to Asia to do some travelling. It's been on our bucket list for so long, so we can't wait to finally book it," the delighted winner shared.
Other Recent Winners
This incident follows other notable wins from the same draw period. Last week, another woman from Cork secured a €100,000 prize and also revealed plans for a dream holiday.
Furthermore, a man in Dublin also scooped €500,000 from the identical Euro Millions Plus draw on January 27th. He recounted almost missing the news entirely after ignoring an initial email alert about his win. He only discovered his fortune the following morning after checking the lottery app. He expressed a desire to use some of the money to take his wife on a cruise, though the couple are currently taking time to process the incredible news.
The story serves as a dramatic reminder for all lottery players to keep their tickets in a safe, but memorable, place until any winnings are successfully claimed.
