A Kilkenny man picked up a cheque for €500,000 at the National Lottery Headquarters today which he won thanks to his daughter who bought him a winning ticket as a gift.

The lucky €3 Quick Pick ticket was bought last Tuesday, August 23, in the EuroSpar, New Park Shopping Centre, Kilkenny, for that evening’s EuroMillions draw.

He was joined by his daughter today as he claimed his prize, and she told the story of the lucky ticket.

She said: “I bought my dad the EuroMillions ticket in EuroSpar. We’re regular shoppers there.

“The next day I heard the owner of the EuroSpar on KCLR radio saying they’d sold a winning ticket for the draw with a prize of half a million.

“I heard the numbers and I recognised at least three of them from my dad’s ticket. I got on to him straight away.”

The dad continued the story, saying: “The daughter told me I had the winning ticket but I checked the main number draws and saw it wasn’t a winner so threw it on top of the cooker.

“I would usually only play Lotto myself so I didn’t realise the numbers were in for the EuroMillions Plus draw too.

“Then the daughter came home, got the ticket and checked the numbers on her phone. You’ve won the half a million she was shouting, but I didn’t believe her.

“So I had her call the National Lottery and, sure enough, they confirmed that we had a winning ticket of €500,000. Unbelievable.”

The Kilkenny winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, plans to put the money away for the future.

A church syndicate from Clondalkin also collected a cheque, this time for €10,000, this morning after they matched five numbers and the bonus in the 9pm Daily Million Draw on August 16.

The syndicate of eight from the Rowlagh Church in Dublin 22 said that they will plan a small party to celebrate their big win.