A group of 14 co-workers from Munster Joinery in Cork has hit the jackpot, winning a whopping €500,000 in the EuroMillions Plus draw. The syndicate, led by their charismatic head Seamus Buckley, travelled to Dublin to collect their prize at the new National Lottery headquarters on 1 George’s Quay. The win on Friday, September 20th, marks their biggest success in 13 years of playing together, and each member will take home an impressive €35,714.

The syndicate, which consists of colleagues from both Cork and Kerry, has been consistently buying tickets for over a decade, pooling their money to play in the hopes of hitting the big time. They’ve had a series of smaller wins, racking up €8,000 in various EuroMillions draws over the past few months. But the win on September 20th was their most substantial prize yet, with their ticket in the EuroMillions Plus draw delivering the life-changing €500,000 jackpot.

Seamus, who has been managing the group’s entries, shared the excitement of their victory: “I’ve been collecting the money and buying our tickets at Kearney’s Centra in Ballydesmond for 13 years. The morning after the draw, I saw on social media that the shop had sold a winning ticket. Our group chat went into overdrive! Everyone was asking, could it be us? I went in to check, and the machine told me ‘You’ve won big, contact the National Lottery.’ That’s when I knew!”

Buckley admits that his fellow syndicate members were skeptical at first, unsure whether he was joking. “Some of them didn’t believe me at all,” he laughed. “I’ve a reputation as a bit of a joker, but I wouldn’t mess about with something like this – I’d be in trouble at work on Monday if I lied!”

The excitement of the win quickly spread throughout the local community, with friends, family, and neighbors pouring in with congratulations. After confirming their win, the group made sure to return to Kearney’s Centra, where the winning ticket was purchased, for a celebratory photo.

Despite the thrill of winning such a large sum, Seamus and the rest of the syndicate remain humble about their good fortune. “We’re all absolutely delighted,” he said, “but things went back to normal very quickly. There’s still plenty of work to be done at Munster Joinery!”