The winner of the record-breaking €115 million Euromillions lottery jackpot last Friday has appealed for "space and time" to come to terms with her win.
In a statement issued through a Limerick solicitor today, Dolores McNamara expressed her appreciation for the support and good wishes she had received over the past few days.
"The events of the past few days have come as a big shock to Dolores and her family and she needs space and time for the implications of her win to sink in," the statement said.
"The first and only priority for Dolores is her husband and children and on her behalf I appeal to the media to give her and her family space and privacy for them to absorb the implication of the past few days."
With speculation mounting over whether Ms McNamara will publicly collect the cheque with her name on it, staff at the National Lottery offices in Dublin revealed the cash would be available this afternoon.
The money should be transferred from eight European headquarters to the accounts of the National Lottery by 2.30pm.
But Lottery bosses have had no contact from the winner of the jackpot prize - despite widespread publicity that Mrs McNamara is the holder of the golden ticket.
The mother-of-six has not been seen or heard of since she abandoned her small white bungalow on St Patrick's Road in Garryowen, where she lives with some of her youngest children and her husband Adrian, a bricklayer.
Reports claimed Mrs McNamara fled to spend a few days in Dublin out of the media spotlight as reporters and photographers camped outside her home and at the lottery offices.
The novelty giant cheque has been hanging in the National Lottery offices on Dublin's Abbey Street waiting for Mrs McNamara to pick it up.
Ireland's newest millionaire has 90 days to collect her winnings and staff at the National Lottery headquarters have said they would not be surprised to see her leave it until the last minute.