ONE of Ireland’s biggest ever EuroMillions winners has told the country’s newest record-breaking jackpot scooper: “Don’t let it change you.”
The nation is at the centre of a frenzy after a lucky Irish punter won the €250MILLION EuroMillions top prize on Tuesday night.
Lottery officials revealed the winning ticket for the biggest ever haul landed by a lottery player in Ireland was snapped up in a shop in Munster – and not bought online.
As the hunt for the golden ticket ramped up last night, Lotto bosses pledged to lift the lid on the winning retail store “soon”.
The EuroMillions jackpot had remained capped at €250million for four successive draws before it was claimed by one lucky Irish punter in Tuesday’s draw.
The history-making Munster winner was the only person in Europe to pick all the right numbers – 13, 22, 23, 44 and 49, plus lucky stars 3 and 5.
It is the highest possible amount that can be won on the EuroMillions – which is capped at €250 million – and eclipses the €175.4million win by the Naul family syndicate in Dublin.
Minted Matt Rogers shared the previous record-breaking €175.4million jackpot with eight siblings in 2019.
The modest multi-millionaire has shunned mansions to remain in his native village in north Co Dublin – and snubbed sports cars to snap up a Peugeot SUV.
And speaking exclusively to the Irish Sun last night, down-to-earth Mr Rogers had a simple message for Ireland’s newest biggest ever EuroMillions winner.
Matt said: “I would tell them to keep calm, just enjoy your life, don’t really change too much.
“Don’t let it change you.”
Loaded Matt was one of nine siblings, originally from Naul, who trousered the country’s previous biggest ever EuroMillions jackpot of €175.4million in February 2019.
Four brothers and five sisters divvied up the loot after buying their €175million ticket in Les Reilly’s Daybreak on Main Street in Naul.
The clan are mostly retired and living between Naul in north Co Dublin and the nearby villages of Duleek and Bellewstown in Co Meath.
The Irish Sun previously revealed how the siblings, including Christine Rogers, celebrated their win with a €12.50 carvery.
We also told how sister Kathleen Sheridan dipped into her part of the €175.4million pot to upgrade her old Mazda2 to a Mazda CX-5.
And rather than upping sticks to a fancy new pad, Matt has stayed put at the farmyard where he and his brothers and sisters grew up.
He spent months renovating the site — and made do with living in an outbuilding while works were carried out.
Proud Matt yesterday showed the Irish Sun the finished job, which features a bungalow with its own bar and sprawling greenhouse out the back.
Mr Rogers told how the clan have not gone jack-potty since landing the EuroMillions, with holidays including budget breaks to the Czech Republic and Spain.
And homebird Matt vowed to never to move from his beloved native village.
Matt told the Irish Sun: “Things are perfect here. This is where I grew up. I have no intentions at all of moving.
“The greenhouse keeps me busy.
“There has been a lot of work to the site.
“It all started with the original house. Eleven of us used to live in there.
“It was just a bare shell there. I have renovated it all and I’m happy with how it has turned out.”
The siblings – who all live near one another in north Co Dublin and Meath – continue to meet up on Sunday for sambos at the original family farmyard.
Irish EuroMillions jackpot winners
HERE’s all the Irish EuroMillions jackpot winners to date.
1. July 2005: Dolores McNamara from Limerick, was Ireland’s first and biggest EuroMillions winner scooping over €115 million.
2. July 2008: A lucky player from Co. Tipperary won a €15 million jackpot with a ticket bought in Carrick-on-Suir in Co Tipperary.
3. June 2009: A family syndicate shared the jackpot with a British winner, taking home over €29.4 million with a ticket they purchased in Dublin.
4. June 2013: A winning ticket sold in Beaumount, Dublin, shared a EuroMillions jackpot worth over €187 million. A Dublin player earned half of the jackpot and picked up over €93 million.
5. September 2013: A young man from the South East shared a jackpot of over €25 million with a player in Spain, taking home over €12.8 million.
6. April 2014: A jackpot prize worth €15 million was claimed on a ticket sold in Castlebar, Co Mayo.
7. September 2014: An €86.7 million jackpot was won by a syndicate from Dublin. The ticket was sold in Centra, Ballybrack, Co. Dublin.
8. January 2016: A syndicate of friends won over €66 million, splitting the jackpot of €132,376,632. The ticket was sold in Eason’s store, Fairgreen Shopping Centre, Carlow.
9. July 2016: 22 colleagues from Dublin Bus won the €23.8 million. The ticket was sold in O’Hanlon’s Portarlington.
10. January 2017: A Dublin work syndicate claimed the €88.5 million EuroMillions jackpot. The winning ticket was sold at the Applegreen Service Station on the M1 Northbound in Lusk, Co Dublin.
11. July 2017: A syndicate from the West of Ireland won a €29 million EuroMillions jackpot. The ticket was sold in Garryduff XL Store on Pound Road, Castlebar in Co Mayo.
12. December 2017: A small family syndicate from Dublin won €38.9 million on a ticket purchased in The Village Shop in Malahide Shopping Centre.
13. June 2018: 32 colleagues from Stakelums Hardware store in Thurles Co.Tipperary share a €17 million EuroMillions jackpot with a ticket they purchased at Eason’s Store in Thurles Shopping Centre in Co. Tipperary.
14. February 2019: The Naul Family Syndicate won €175.4 million on a ticket sold in Reilly’s Daybreak in Naul, Co Dublin.
15. February 2020: A Co Mayo family shared the €17 million jackpot with a ticket they purchased at Mulroy’s Londis Store in Castlebar.
16. July 2020: An online player in Dublin won a €49.5 million jackpot which they won with a €2.50 normal play ticket.
17. February 2022: Mid-West ticket holder scoops €30.9 million jackpot with Quick Pick ticket they purchased at Larkin’s Gala Service Station in Ballina, Co Tipperary.
Matt said: “They all still come here at the weekend. The whole lot. It’s great. Why change?”
But while determined to maintain family traditions, the Naul syndicate no longer play the Lotto.
Matt revealed: “I don’t even do it now since we won it. None of us do, actually.
“We’ve had our turn.”
And asked about his advice for Ireland’s newest EuroMillions winner, Matt urged them to stay “grounded” and look after their family.
He declared: “ I hope they (the new EuroMillions winners) enjoy the money. Hopefully it is well split up.”
The Irish National Lottery last night confirmed that the winning ticket for Tuesday night’s €250million EuroMillions jackpot was purchased in-store in the Munster region.
Emma Monaghan, spokesperson for the National Lottery, said: “We are continuing to advise all EuroMillions players in the Munster region to check their tickets very carefully to see if they have landed this mega windfall.
‘JUST LET IT SINK IN’
“We’re looking forward to sharing more details about the win in the coming days!”
Ms Monaghan urged the winner of the “eye-watering prize” to remain calm, keep the ticket “somewhere safe” and “have a cup of tea and just let it sink in”.
She said: “It’s great news for Irish players, we are delighted for the winner.
“They’ve now become the highest ever winner of an Irish National Lottery game. So that is some title to hold.
“If anyone has found they are holding the winning ticket, they should sign the back of it and keep it somewhere safe.
“If at all possible, to stay calm, I know that might be easier said than done.
“Have a cup of tea and just let it sink in. Players do have 90 days to claim the prize.
“So I’m hoping that they will make contact before then.”
MILESTONE MOMENT
Irish National Lottery CEO Cian Murphy described it as a milestone moment.
He beamed: “We are absolutely thrilled to see this incredible and record win for an Irish EuroMillions player.
“We are advising our players to check their tickets and if they are the winner, sign the back of the ticket, keep it safe, and contact National Lottery HQ and we will guide you through the claims process.
“The details surrounding the winning ticket will be revealed over the coming days. With such a big win we have procedures to follow, but we will reveal the winning location as soon as we can.
“While this is a massive win, it can come as a shock to a winner and we advise them to stay calm, get independent legal and financial advice and contact us as soon as they can.”
