A young mother from Co Meath collected her Lotto winnings of €350,000 this morning - from her first-ever Lotto ticket.
The woman, who is keeping her identity secret, commented she felt is was "mad stuff this - completely surreal" - but she was "thrilled to bits".
The mum bought her first Lotto ticket at the Topaz Kennelsfort station in Palmerstown, Dublin, with a €4 quick pick ticket - and took home the top prize in the Lotto Plus 1 draw.
"It was my first time ever to play Lotto. After I checked the ticket on Monday, I went into the loo in work and just stared at the ticket," she said.
"I wanted to jump up and down and scream and shout - it was the most unbelievable feeling I’ve ever had! It was so difficult to not say anything in work but I stuck to my guns. I’m not one to be in the newspapers with a big cheque or anything like that – I’m a very humble person who likes looking after people – I think it’s what I do best.
"But that doesn’t mean I won’t be home on the couch tonight looking at this cheque and thinking ‘OMG! THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND EURO! All those little thousands – AND THEY’RE ALL MINE! I just cannot, cannot believe my luck! It’s such a huge amount of money’.
She told the National Lottery, who issued the statement on her behalf, she would like to go to Australia for a few weeks with her children, and buy a home to "have a bit of comfort in life and look after my kids."
The young mother said she decided to give the lottery a try after hearing about the €10.6 million Lotto jackpot win last week – and is, no wonder, now convinced of its merits.