Taxi Driver Credits Late Mum For £450,000 EuroMillions Win

A taxi driver from Limerick hit the jackpot in Friday night's EuroMillions Plus draw, bagging a cool €500,000 (£450,000).

Describing his 'life-changing' prize, 43-year-old Eddie Costelloe from Moyross credited his late mum Helen for convincing him to follow his dream of one day winning the lottery.

The married father-of-two told The Mirror: "On my mother's deathbed, I said to her, 'Mam, I'm going to win the lotto one of these days', and she said, 'Son, you will', and I've been chasing this for a long time.

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"Seven years it took me, and I got it. I'm after getting half a million."

Oddly enough, the anniversary of Eddie's mother's death - 4 July, 2013 - has brought him luck in the past, having used these numbers to win €15,000 from two previous lotto draws.

This time round, the cabbie decided to go for the EuroMillions Quick Pick after a long day working for delivery firm Nightline. Little did he realise that in a matter of hours his life would be changed forever.

Eddie continued: "It's unbelievable; it's unreal, it hasn't sunk in yet. This is what I wanted all my life," he said.

"I always knew it, because my mother said it, when she was on her deathbed, and ever since then I have chased it."

The cash couldn't have come at a better time, as Eddie's work as a taxi driver had dried up due to the coronavirus pandemic.

That said, Eddie and his wife Antoinette, who is a care worker with CareBright, will continue to work to support their two kids - Cian, five and Megan, nine.

"It's not going to (stop) me from working, because it's not in me to sit around, I'll always work," he explained.

"I'm a taxi driver and as you know the industry has been hit hard, but I reverted back to delivering parcels for Nightline, and that's my job now, so going forward, I'm going to keep (delivering) my parcels.

Antoinette added: "We'll still be working, I have (up to) six clients that I look after everyday."

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So what does that mean for their big payout? Aside from contributing to their kids' futures, Eddie and Antoinette are trading their motors in for newer models. They'll also be paying off their home, as well as a swanky holiday house in Lanzarote.

But the couple remain modest too, even shelling out a generous sum to their local Circle K store where Eddie had picked up the winning lotto ticket.

Expressing appreciation for the convenience store chain, Eddie said: "I always use the garage, it's top class."

Topics: Ireland, Win, Family, Euromillions, Lottery

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Daisy is a UK-based freelance journalist with too many opinions. She loves everything film and music-related and has a track record writing for Little White Lies, BWRC, and Film Daily. Contact her at [email protected]