The Cork couple who scooped last Saturday's record €16 million lotto jackpot arrived by coach along with their children at National Lottery headquarters in Dublin today to claim their prize.
Ireland's latest lottery millionaire Paul Cunningham in Lottery HQ today. PA
A large group of photographers and journalists were camped outside the headquarters in Lower Abbey Street in anticipation of their arrival. Some journalists have been there since Monday morning for the chance of seeing Paul and Helen Cunningham from Farranree arrive to collect their cheque.
Lottery bosses rolled out the red carpet over the footpath on Abbey Street before the Cunninghams' arrival at about 1.40pm.
A large number of onlookers had also gathered and jostled for position with at least a dozen photographers at crash barriers outside.
A photographer who pleaded with one woman to be allowed push in beside her was firmly rebuffed with an "I've-been-here-for-hours-and-I-was-here-first". So there.
Just a few gardaí were needed to keep order and to prevent the crowd spilling out onto the road and into the path of buses.
Curious bus and Luas passengers en route along Abbey Street could be seen peering from the windows at the scene and tourists stopped to take pictures.
Rumours - almost certainly started by bored journalists camped outside for endless hours - did the rounds that the Cunninghams would arrive by Rolls Royce.
But they chose a much more modest form of transport - a large coach with tinted windows.
The couple and their children Amy, Sarah, Paul, Stephen and Shane were met at the door by staff of the National Lottery. Helen Cunningham, who purchased the winning ticket last Friday, was presented with a bouquet of flowers.
Onlookers cheered and photographers shouted at the family to turn every which was for photographs before they were finally whisked inside the building to do the formalities.
Helen Cunningham bought the winning €4 Quickpick ticket at Twomey's Centra shop in Farranree on Friday.
The Cunninghams and their five children had 90 days from last Saturday in which to collect their winnings.
Saturday's jackpot was the biggest ever in the 20-year history of the National Lottery in Ireland following 11 rollovers.
Meanwhile, in Britain, a couple were today celebrating a double Lotto win after they accidentally bought two tickets with the same numbers.
Derek Ladner (57) and his wife Dawn (60) from Redruth, Cornwall, said they were "overwhelmed" by the two £479,142 wins.
Thety won with their usual numbers in the mid-week draw in the British lottery, sharing the £2.4 million jackpot with four other tickets.
Mr Ladner later found a second identical ticket in his wallet and realised he had absent-mindedly entered twice. The couple's double-share of the jackpot is worth just under £1 million.
The pair have handed in their notice at work and are taking a break to decide how to spend their windfall.
Additional reporting: Reuters