A married couple from Co. Laois have collected a prize of €179,034 after they match five numbers plus the bonus in the Lotto draw last Wednesday, March 1.

The couple, who wish to keep their win private, bought their winning Quick Pick ticket at the Supervalu store on Abbeyleix Road in Portlaoise, Co. Laois.

The winning wife said: “We had no idea we had won anything.”

Her husband admitted they were oblivious to the fact that they had won.

He said: “On Thursday morning, we heard that there had been a huge Lotto jackpot winner in Dublin and it never dawned on us to check our own ticket.

“I was in the shop on Friday evening picking up some groceries and I had my Lotto ticket checked at the till. The shop assistant handed me back a slip which instructed me to contact the National Lottery.

“My wife and I agonizingly spent the whole weekend inspecting our numbers to try to figure out how much we had won.”

The Lotto Match 5 + Bonus prize used to be a guaranteed €25,000, but after game changes the prize fund is now carried forward in each draw if there are no winners.

Therefore in this case the couple won the bigger prize of €179,034.

They outlined their plans for the money, with the husband saying: “This win comes at just the perfect time for us. We were facing astronomical fees to put all of our kids through college for the next few years.

“We can now take care of them without having to worry about saving and paying all of their bills.

“First though, my wife and I will treat ourselves to a nice sun holiday in the next few weeks to celebrate properly.”