By Briege Madden
info@monaghanpost.com

A BALLYBAY lady has become a Lotto millionaire after popping into a lucky Cavan shop “by pure chance.”
Eileen Farrelly is the winner of a new national lottery game, Monday Millions which she recently played in Hannigan’s shop in Cootehill.
“I don’t normally be in Cootehill, I might have done the lottery twice when I was passing through. I went in cause it’s a lucky shop.
“It was just by pure chance that I did it. I went in to do the Euro millions and I heard another lady mentioning the Monday Millions. She was asking about it, so I said, ‘Sure throw me €2 on that as well,” beamed Eileen.
Eileen found out on Tuesday night September 30, that she had hit the jackpot, when her daughter, Sharon and future son-in-law, Declan Sheridan, urged her to go and check the ticket.
“How did I feel?” Eileen laughs, “there are no words… it’s just unreal. I couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t believe that I had the ticket.
“I was leaping and jumping round the place and Sharon was trying to keep me calm.
“My daughter and I sat in the house and we sort of laughed and cried for a while - laughed and cried and talked and drank a few drops of brandy and a wee drop of wine, stuff like that.”
Eileen has big plans for her winnings and intends to treat the whole family.
“I will pay off our mortgage and I will quite possibly buy a car. I drive a Nissan Micro 96 at the minute so I will probably buy a wee car. We are definitely going to have a holiday, the whole lot of us.
“I haven’t stopped laughing. I am delighted. There is a load lifted off my shoulders when I think I’m mortgage free,” she says.