Maria Doherty 21, from Clonmany has been dubbed the luckiest girl in Ireland after scooping €374,695,84 on just her third day of work.
Maria was part of a syndicate of thirteen employees at Forward Emphasis in Malin Head who between them won a staggering €4,871,046.
However, Maria only started her job on Monday, and entered the syndicate for the very first time yesterday!!
A delighted Maria told Donegal Daily, “I just can’t believe it, I only started the job on Monday and didn’t expect my first pay cheque until next month.
“But, I’m getting paid after just three days work, and I’m getting an amount I’d have to work for 25 years to get, she laughed.
Maria also admitted that if she hadn’t the correct €2 change to enter, she probably wouldn’t have bothered, as she never regularly does the lotto or scratch card quick picks.
“When they asked me did I want to enter, I said yeah sure why not, I never in my wildest dreams expected to win it, and if I didn’t have the €2 on me, I probably wouldn’t have done it, as I don’t regularly do the lotto at all.
“Thank god I did it though, I just can’t believe it, I’m struggling to take it all in. It’s a life changing amount of money.
Cockhill Celtic star James Bradley was also part of the syndicate and he was absolutely over the moon.
He told Donegal Daily, “Let’s hope it’s a treble for Donegal now, the lotto, and a double for the Minors and Seniors on Sunday.
“It’s just an unbelievable feeling, Donal O’Brien will probably be looking for me to reinvest in our squad for next season!!
The thirteen lucky lotto winners were James Bradley, Liam Bradley, Linda McKinley, Anna McKinney, Patricia Quigley, Marion McCauley, Helen Doherty, Maria Doherty, Anne-Marie Jordan, Amanda McFadden, Marie McLaughlin, Kelly McMonagle and Claire McElhinney.
