Anger as lottery winner’s son drives onto pitch
Gardaí are investigating an incident in Castleconnell in which Gary McNamara interrupted a local soccer game when he drove a van onto the pitch.
The 28-year-old has been granted permission to build a 4,200sqft mansion on a five-acre site near Castleconnell, costing an estimated €1m.
He plans to move out of his €360,000 house in the village.
He moved there after gardaí uncovered an attempt to kidnap him in the aftermath of his mother’s €115m win in 2005.
He had previously lived in a rented house in Castletroy.
However, on Sunday, Mr McNamara enraged locals when he sped onto a soccer pitch, sending players and supporters running in fear.
One spectator said: “He came down onto the pitch pretty fast and he drove right up the centre of it.”
Lisnagry had been playing Hyde Rangers in an under-17 game.
Mr McNamara said he took the action to send a message to people he claimed were blocking the entrance to his site nearby when soccer games were being played.
“They won’t allow me to get on with my work so I won’t allow them to get on with theirs. If it’s all right for them to invade my space, then it’s all right for me to invade theirs.”
He said he had asked officials of Lisnagry soccer club not to block the entrance to his site with parked cars.
“Jealousy must be an awful thing. They must be jealous of me over building a big house when they’re at home starving,.” he said.
A spokesman for Lisnagry soccer club described Mr McNamara’s behaviour as scurrilous.
“You had 22 kids on the field and that kind of behaviour has nothing to do with sport and certainly nothing to do with Lisnagry or Hyde Rangers.”
The game resumed after the incident although the field had been badly cut up by Mr McNamara’s vehicle.
Gardaí are investigating.
Dolores McNamara moved from Limerick to a new €1.7m mansion overlooking Lough Derg after her win. She also bought a €500,000 house in Clarina for one of her daughters.
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