Malahide does not need to win the lottery to be a lucky village.
Its seaside location and proximity to Dublin already makes it one of the most sought-after addresses in the country.
Now it has been revealed as the location in which two lottery-winning tickets have been sold in quick succession.
Visiting priest Msgr John Delaney cited divine intervention for his €500,000 EuroMillions win before Christmas. The winning ticket was bought in Donnybrook Fair, Malahide, on December 22nd.
Mgr Delaney told The Irish Times: "God gave it to me for some reason and I will give it away."
Just a week after his win, the gods of the lottery continue to smile on the village. The EuroMillions jackpot of €38.9 million that dwarfs Mgr Delaney’s big win was sold in Malahide on December 29th.
Financial advice
The winner has come forward but he, she or they are keeping quiet and getting legal and financial advice before coming forward to pick up their winnings.
The ticket was sold in The Village Shop in Malahide Shopping Centre by its owner, Amy Cong, who will get €25,000 for her own good fortune.
She was stopping the traffic on Malahide Main Street as she posed for photographs outside the shop.
Previously she sold a €350,000 Lotto Plus 1 winning ticket, but this is chump change compared to the latest eye-watering jackpot.
Amy and her husband, Ken, came to Ireland from northeastern China 20 years ago as emigrants.
She described the experience of being informed on Wednesday that she was the seller of the winning ticket as “unreal” and “shocking”.
“The €350,000 win was a big amount for us, but it’s through the roof now,” she added.
A qualified accountant, she never contemplated being in the newsagent trade, but “now I’m in it, I love it. I like talking to people rather than sitting in an office.
“I hope the winner is from the town. I love this community. We have a lot of regular customers. It could be one of our regular customers.
“People in Malahide know us already. For people visiting Malahide, we are definitely one of the shops you should be visiting.”
Third major jackpot
The €38.9 million lottery win was the third major jackpot won in Ireland in the last year.
In January last year, a Dublin work syndicate claimed a €88.5 million EuroMillions jackpot. The winning ticket was sold at the Applegreen Service Station on the M1 northbound in Lusk, Co Dublin.
In July, a west of Ireland syndicate won almost €29 million on a ticket sold in the Garryduff XL Store, Castlebar, Co Mayo. The prize was claimed but again the identity of the winners were not revealed.
The EuroMillions players in Ireland scooped more than €170 million in prize money last year.
