Lottery winner ‘has flown to Dublin to collect €115m’

THE Limerick woman who landed the biggest prize in European lottery history is believed to have flown to Dublin to collect her winnings, it emerged yesterday.

A relation of Dolores

McNamara, 50, from St Patrick’s Road, Limerick city, said she flew straight to the capital with her best friend the day after learning of her €115.6 million win.

“Apparently she flew to Dublin from Shannon on Saturday morning and booked into a hotel there,” her relative, who did not want to be named, said.

However, National Lottery bosses have said they cannot confirm if Ms McNamara has the winning ticket until the person reports to the headquarters in Dublin.

Paula McEvoy, the spokesperson for the Irish National Lottery said that as the enormous sum would be transferred from the eight EU countries involved it would take until Wednesday or Thursday to gather the amount. “The person has 90 days to come forward and collect it,” she said.

After eating a humble breakfast in a local pub on Saturday morning, a relative said Ms McNamara met with a solicitor in a Limerick hotel to seek legal advice after her name was released to the public.

“She sought legal advice on Saturday morning, not to have her pictures publicised and pictures of her children shown,” he said.

Dozens of people immediately learned of her enormous win on Friday night after she got her friend to check her EuroMillions lottery ticket in The Track bar in Garryowen.

News of the win quickly spread throughout the tight-knit Limerick community and some of Ms McNamara’s six children rushed to the bar to celebrate.

And a friend of the family, who took pictures in the pub on Friday night, is believed to have sold them to several newspapers for over €16,000.

One of Ms McNamara’s six children immediately urged her to put the ticket into safe hands. The family brought the ticket to Henry Street Garda Station, where staff are believed to have contacted the Trustee Savings Bank to place it in the vaults.