Search icon

News

31st Jan 2019

Mayo family discover they’ve won €1 million on the Lotto via Teletext

Paul Moore

Lotto

1) Delighted for them, 2) Delighted to learn Teletext is still going!

For people of a certain age – this writer being one of them – there was only one true way of finding out the latest results. No, it wasn’t via Twitter, a push notification, Flashscore, or any other website.

Oh yes, for those that were raised in the ’90s, the sheer mention of pages 302, 220, and 200 will instantly bring back memories of waiting to see the pages change in the hope that your team have scored.

Aside from this, Teletext – or Aertel for those that didn’t have ‘the channels’ – was also your parents’ preferred way of finding out about the Lotto and cheap holidays too.

Anyways, the beloved technology has made a reappearance in the Irish zeitgeist after a family syndicate from the village of Foxford, Mayo discovered that they won €1m on the Lotto via Aertel.

The lucky family collected their winnings in National Lottery HQ on Thursday and the winning ticket was sold at Gannon’s Post Office store in Foxford Village.

A spokesperson for the lucky syndicate said: “We hadn’t an iota that there was a €1 million ticket sold in the village that afternoon so were completely unaware that we had become millionaires. I turned on the telly after our tea and flicked on the Aertel channel to check the draw numbers. I must have checked the ticket ten or twenty times before I allowed myself to believe I had the winning ticket.”.

“While it took some time convincing myself that we had won, it was another matter entirely convincing all of the family. I made a couple of calls to inform them of the good news but none of them believed me – they thought I was crackers! Eventually, they came up to the house so once they saw it was a winning ticket on their phones, the celebrations really began,” she added.

The Mayo group, who wish to remain anonymous, decided to take some time out before collecting their life-changing prize and they promised not to get carried away with their new found riches.

“We are a very normal, down to earth family so we won’t be getting carried away. We’ll pay off the mortgage and whatever bills we have but we will continue with life as usual. You definitely won’t see any Ferrari’s in our driveway anytime soon, that’s for sure,” they laughed.

Further proof that even after its demise, Teletext just keeps on giving.

LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge

Topics:

Lotto,Mayo,News