MYSTERY STILL surrounded the whereabouts last night of the winners of almost €10 million in Wednesday night’s Lotto jackpot.
The winners have been named locally as Siobhán and Noel Greaney from Carnmore in Co Galway but, by close of business yesterday evening, the country’s latest Lotto millionaires had not collected their prize.
There was nobody at home at the couple’s modest bungalow, where they live with their young children Cian and Leah, throughout yesterday.
And a spokeswoman for the National Lottery confirmed yesterday evening that the winners of the jackpot had not yet come forward to claim their prize.
Instead, the winners are prepared to sit on their priceless ticket until at least Monday morning when the lottery offices open again.
“It is not unusual for people to wait and we have heard of some peculiar places that people have kept their ticket in until they come forward,” said the spokeswoman. “One person kept it in their shoe until they got here, another had it in the back pocket of his jeans and slept in them over the weekend. Everyone has their own way.
“But we always urge winners to sign the back of the ticket. That is very important,” she added.
The family purchased the winning ticket at a shop close to Galway airport and scooped €9,794,147 when their numbers came up in Wednesday night’s draw.
They come from a well-known and long-established business family in the Carnmore area but were not at home when reporters and photographers called to their house yesterday.
Their success became known on Wednesday night, sparking off great celebrations in Carnmore, which is about 10km from Galway city centre.
Shop owner Liam Glynn, who will receive €15,000 for selling the winning ticket, said there was great joy that a local family had won it.
However, this win was not the largest Lotto jackpot win this year. On April 18th, a €14.5 million jackpot was won by a couple from Glenageary, Co Dublin.
The largest Lotto jackpot win to date was a prize of almost €19 million which was shared by a syndicate of 16 men at a Carlow construction company in June 2008.
Ireland has also had a EuroMillions jackpot winner this year with a ticket that was sold in Dublin scooping over €29 million in June.
However, Limerick woman Dolores McNamara remains the State’s biggest lottery winner, after scooping € 115 million in the EuroMillions in 2005.