Shop owner's luck refuses to run out
By Kate Northrop
BALLINROBE, Ireland — Third time's the charm is apparently not enough for a small-town newsstand in west Ireland. Irish lottery players might find themselves drawn to the lucky little store in Ballinrobe after it sold its fourth significant winning lottery ticket.
Martin Murphy, 68, the owner of Murphys Newsagent on Main Street, celebrated on Thursday after discovering that he sold the winning ticket for the €2.8 million (US$3.2 million) Ireland National Lottery jackpot drawn on Wednesday, July 1, 2020.
Both players and Murphy alike have plenty to celebrate — not only will he receive a €15,000 for selling the lone winning ticket, but this big win marks the fourth time he sold a winning lottery ticket of substantial value. Chances are, he might find more customers frequenting his newsstand for a piece of his incredible luck.
"Honestly, I still can't believe it," Murphy said. "You wouldn't believe the excitement which is coursing through Ballinrobe town right now."
The mystery player who single-handedly won the jackpot has not yet claimed the prize. Murphy hopes and feels that it is a local winner, but whoever they are, he wishes them plenty of health and happiness and urges them to seek out professional advice.
"I have seen first-hand how a Lotto win can change somebody's life for the better," he said. "I hope that they take some time out and gather their thoughts before they make any big plans for their win. €2.8 million is a lot of money, and it will be truly-lifechanging. I hope that they enjoy it and make every penny count."
The first major winning lottery ticket Murphy sold was worth £157,000 (US$197,000) back in 1989. The lottery prize was split with another winner from Athlone.
The second winning ticket was sold to an anonymous Euromillions player in 2004 who won €350,000 (US$395,000).
The third instance was quite remarkable — in 2015, Murphy sold his brother-in-law, Gerry Murphy, a ticket that won a €6.38 million (US$7.2 million) jackpot.
The winning numbers for the most recent big win on July 1, 2020 were 3, 8, 21, 34, 37, and 47, with bonus number 16.
"We are all ecstatically excited, and we are thrilled that somebody in our community is now coming to terms with being over €2.8 million richer right now," Murphy said. "It really is such a satisfying feeling knowing that we sold them the winning ticket."
Thanks to dannyct for the tip.
The luck of the Irish.* Straight out of the pages of Waking Ned Devine.
There's a four-leaf clover there somewhere ;
European version of Fond du lac Wisconsin...what was the mile called...'the golden mile?' with all the winning tickets sold in years past.
I bet business is great in that Murphys Newsagent!
More newspapers, magazines, and lottery tickets will be sold at Murphy's.
Thanks music* I couldn't remember the nickname.
Guess my brain is still foggy for pick 4 yesterday mid-day...the year of my birth straight and of course wouldn't think to play it!
I hope he is not related to Mr Patel 😷😜😜
Probably not.
Sorry for not keeping this related to this story, but last night's KY Cashball 225 had three top prizes on their FB posting. I of course replied 'The RNG must be broken'. It used to be a ball game until COVID-19 came along.
In Ireland, lottery prize money is tax-free and the winners have the right to remain anonymous.
Ever heard of Bluebird Liquors (at least I think that's what's it's called) in Hawthorne, CA? They sold 6 tickets worth at least $1m at the time I had heard of them. 4 is peanuts compared to that! Then again, quality over quantity, I suppose.