Lightning strikes twice for lottery winner

WHILE LIGHTNING struck Dublin yesterday, for one lucky woman in the capital it was a case of lightning striking twice.

The unidentified woman from Cork came to National Lottery offices in Dublin yesterday to collect six-figure winnings for the second time in eight years.

The woman won the top EuroMillions Plus prize from last Friday’s draw, for which she was presented with a cheque for €502,020.

In 2001, she won the Lotto Plus 2 top prize of €250,000, bringing her total winnings to more than €750,000.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, has a grown-up family and lives in Cork city, and called to the lottery offices with members of her family. Her winning numbers were chosen from family birthdays and door numbers.

The woman purchased her €12 ticket in Centra, the Tower Shopping Centre in Blarney, Co Cork.

“I would describe myself as an extremely lucky person,” she said over a glass of champagne after collecting her winnings. “I win things regularly and I expect to win more prizes with the lottery. My next aim is to win a big Lotto jackpot – I’d really, really like that.”

With her last win, the woman travelled with her family to Japan for the World Cup. This time around, she plans to go shopping “for me”.

According to the National Lottery, a EuroMillions Plus top prize worth €500,000 is still awaiting collection. The ticket was sold on June 11th in McLaughney’s store in Shannon, Co Clare.