Family win 38.9 million Euro in Euromillions jackpot

Lottery chiefs said the 38.9 million euro prize from December 29 went to a "small family syndicate" who collected their cheque in private in Dublin.

The family, who bought the winning ticket in The Village Shop in Malahide shopping centre, Dublin on the day of the draw, said they found out they had won when they checked the numbers in the same shop the next morning.

They are thinking about buying a new house, they would like to start a business and they are planning a holiday in the Bahamas or the Maldives.

One of the group said: "This is life-changing. It is amazing to think that we and our family members are now secure for the rest of our lives. But we won't go crazy. We have no plans to move to the moon."

The family, who wish to remain private, said the last week has been a blur as they collected the cheque at National Lottery headquarters in Dublin.

The spokesman for the group said they were slowly coming to terms with their massive good fortune.

"I checked my ticket as normal in a shop the morning after the draw. A message came up to contact the National Lottery. I knew then we had won. I was dizzy," he said.

The ticket holder went home and told the rest of the family.

"We stayed in all day. There were lots of emotions. We kept looking at each other laughing and crying," he said.

"You always hope that some day you would win a jackpot, but never really believe it will happen. For us our dreams have come true.

"We had a friend staying and we broke the news to him on Sunday. He said he could not believe he was sleeping under the same roof as people who had won almost 39 million euro."

The family hope to continue with life as normal as possible, they said.

"We haven't had much sleep in the last week. We will take our time before we make any big changes," he said.

"What is great is that we can look after family and help make their lives easier also. That will give us great pleasure."

Dermot Griffin, National Lottery chief executive, said: "I am delighted for the winners. This is life-changing for them. This win shows that dreams can come through. We wish them every happiness in the future."