Euro Millions: Euro Millions lottery winner wants 'normality'Irish housewife Dolores McNamara wants to return to normality as soon as possible, her solicitor said today as she collected the biggest jackpot in European Lottery history.
After four days of hiding, the Limerick housewife finally braved the attention to collect her €115 million (US$136 million) bumper check.
The mother of six, from Garryowen in Limerick, looked bewildered as she was escorted into the National Lottery offices.
Mrs McNamara was alongside her solicitor, David Sweeney, as he said: "Dolores is absolutely thrilled with her win but realizes that it will take some time for the implications of her win to sink in.
"Up to now, Dolores has lived a very happy and contented life among her family, friends and neighbors and it is her sincere desire that she and her family will return to normality as soon as possible."
Mr. Sweeney, who was sitting beside the 45-year-old woman, added: "She is absolutely determined that her feet and the feet of her family will remain firmly on the ground. To achieve this, she will need the support of her friends and she knows that she can rely on this support."
Mrs McNamara remained silent as she collected her winnings, accompanied by a close family friend Paddy Tobin, whose brother owns the Track Bar in Limerick, where she celebrated her win.
But the petite woman was all smiles as she was presented with a bouquet of purple and red flowers and finally took possession of the infamous giant sized novelty check with the final figure of 115,436,126 euro inscribed on it.
Mrs McNamara wore a white jacket, white leather handbag, dark trousers, newly-styled blond hair and perfectly manicured nails, as she smiled for the cameras.
Asked had the win sunk in yet, Mrs McNamara shook her head and smiled.
With a wry smile, Ray Bates, National Lottery director, revealed this was Mrs McNamara's first time to ever buy a Euro Millions Lottery ticket.
Mr. Bates said thousands of euro had gone to charities across the eight European countries involved due to the huge number of tickets purchased for the bumper jackpot.
Mrs McNamara joked that she was married as the Lottery director planted a kiss on her cheek.
After three days awaiting her entrance, four lottery officials had installed barricades to ensure her safe passage into the building past the waiting crowds of onlookers.
One man, Soura Amadou, from Nigeria, stood for hours in the hope of handing Mrs McNamara an envelope with a video of a charity in Africa.
The 36-year-old said: "I wanted to give her information on a charity, I have an envelope with a video in it. The charity works to improve water in rural areas in Nigeria."
However, there were many others who only stopped to catch a glimpse of Ireland's latest multi-millionaire in the hope that some of the luck might rub off.
Mary Rochfort, 64, from Kilcock in Co Kildare, said she waited for several hours to wish Mrs McNamara luck with her winnings.
"She arrived and I said to Dolores 'Good luck and good health to you'. And she said 'Thank you' as she walked by.
"She was very pleasant and she looked much better than in the pictures of her celebrating on Friday night."
The mother-of-six abandoned her small white house on St Patrick's Road in Limerick on Saturday as she began to realize the enormity of the win.
Father Terry O'Connell, who administers Mass only yards away from the McNamara's £105,000 (€150,000) white terrace house, said it was going to be difficult for her to re-settle in the house she abandoned on Saturday.
Mrs McNamara spent several days hiding in luxury at the Moran's Silversprings Hotel, near Cork, with her husband Adrian, several of her children and friends.
After her hideout in Cork was rumbled, the housewife traveled to the capital late last night to the Red Cow Hotel in preparation for collecting her check.
Mrs McNamara has enjoyed a makeover over the past few days as she waited to pick up her jackpot.
In the Cork hotel, Mrs McNamara had treated herself and several other women in her group to makeovers, which included getting their hair colored, facials, manicures and make-up applied professionally.
Mr. Sweeney has said the housewife's first priority is her husband, Adrian, and their six children, Dawn, 28, Kim, 22, Kevanne, 20, Gary, 26, Dean, 15 and her 13-year-old son Lee.
