Separated couple share €500k Lotto win with different tickets

They may have been unlucky in love but an estranged couple hit the Lotto jackpot when they scooped €500,000 with two separate tickets with the same numbers.

Pat O’Hagan from Letterkenny, Co Donegal, collected his €250,000 cheque at Lotto headquarters in Dublin after his numbers came up on Saturday in the Lotto Plus 2 draw.

But, amazingly, his was just one of two tickets which scooped the prize, as another ticket in the town had exactly the same numbers.

The second winner refused to reveal their identity, preferring to remain anonymous. However, sources have revealed that the second winner was Pat’s estranged wife, Margaret.

Amazingly, both did the Lotto numbers separately last Saturday.

Margaret, a former hospital worker at Letterkenny General Hospital, did a €12 Lotto ticket at The Paper Post on Letterkenny’s Main St last Saturday. Pat did his €4 ticket at Mac’s Mace on the town’s High Road.

The pair went to Dublin by Bus Éireann coach to collect their winnings yesterday and were due to return to Letterkenny last night.

They have a grown-up family.

Pat celebrated his win by sipping champagne at The Voodoo Lounge in Letterkenny on Monday before travelling to Dublin.

He said he was looking forward to spending some of his winnings on a trip to Florence in Italy, as he has a love of architecture.

He revealed he used the same numbers he has been using since 1988 to scoop the windfall.

Pat revealed “I won over €1,000 in the mid-’80s but haven’t won anything since.

“I’m really looking forward to taking a holiday in Florence in Italy soon, to see the Statue of David because I’m interested in art and sculpture.

“I’m also going to visit my older brother in New Mexico later on.”