A syndicate of teachers from a secondary school in Cork recently scooped a prize of €500,000 in the EuroMillions Plus draw.
The 64-member syndicate opted to dedicate their win to a former colleague who passed away in the previous year.
The draw
The syndicate named ‘Seomra 22’ comprises of staff members of the St. Colman’s Community College in Middleton, Co Cork.
The syndicate landed the big prize in the EuroMillions Plus draw that was conducted on January 17th, 2023.
The quick pick lucky ticket had been purchased in Middleton from Tim McCarthy News located on Main Street.
On Monday, the syndicate celebrated their win in Cork at The Dean Hotel. Amy Cotter, a member of the syndicate, said that the experience of winning the prize was ‘surreal’ for the school staff.
She stated that she had missed a couple of zeroes and thought they had won €500 and they had thought that was amazing. She added that they had found it difficult to believe.
She added that the win had not sunk in as yet because she was going to attend a friend’s wedding in Italy and would also go to Bali and the win would only help in making things more comfortable.
The speculation
Ms Cotter teaches science and PE and said that the win has occurred in her first year. She added that students habitually speculate about how certain cars belong to in the car park.
However, now they will be speculating about more exciting matters. She said that the students are now wondering where the winners will spend their money.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Walsh, the syndicate manager and the school secretary, stated that the whole town was buzzing after the win.
She added that people had been coming up to her in the street and congratulating her and added that the locals were very happy, which only added to the excitement.
She said that it has given a positive lift to the community and town, which they had really needed.
Other details
Ms Walsh stated that they had named their syndicate Seomra 22 because the room number had a special significance after their colleague had passed last November.
She said that the room number had belonged to Maeve Barry, who had passed away and they had won the prize on the ticket that she was going to purchase as it was her turn.
Ms Walsh said that it was ten times more special for them to share the money because they think Maeve is looking down on them.
She further said that she had bought the EuroMillions ticket in her memory because it had been her turn to buy it and she helped them win the big prize.
She was also delighted that all her colleagues were able to come to the celebration at The Dean Hotel. Her sister is also part of the syndicate, as she is also on the school staff.
Every syndicate member will receive just under €8,000. Two retired teachers were also part of the syndicate.
