'Act of kindness' and chicken fillet roll led to €11.2m Lotto win

The Wicklow man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, vowed not to lose the run of himself as he collected his winnings in Dublin yesterday, saying replacing kitchen appliances is his priority.

The man, who was part of a family syndicate, bought the ticket at the Spar Service Station on Monastery Road in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, with a €10 note, which was actually a tip from a grateful customer.

Kindness

"I was at work that morning and a happy customer gave me a €10 tip, so I decided to pop into the Spar garage to get myself a chicken fillet roll for my lunch and with the change, I got myself a Lotto Quick Pick - it was a simple act of kindness from a customer which led my family to a win of a lifetime," he said.

"It's something I will always be grateful for."

Despite the windfall fortune, he has no plans to splurge.

"We're just a normal family and while the win is life-changing, it really won't change us all that much," he said. "We have no intention of giving up work just yet and we're currently making some plans to renovate the house.

"You always think you're going to go mad and lose the run of yourself when you win the Lotto but at the top of our shopping list at the moment is a new dishwasher and oven."

It was two days after the jackpot on August 21 that he realised he was €11,225,280 richer.

Speechless

"I was sitting in the car eating my lunch on the following Friday while I was reading the paper and I overheard a conversation on the radio about the Lotto win in Enniskerry," the winner said.

"My heart jumped out of my chest because I knew that's where I bought my ticket. I pulled my ticket out of my wallet and checked the numbers. I was absolutely speechless. I just sat there in silence.

"It was such a magical feeling, knowing that you've just won a life-changing sum of money as easy as that."