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The Dublin-based woman who won the weekend charity raffle for a nice vacation home in Co Mayo says she learned of her good fortune when she was contacted on Saturday morning by a Canadian journalist seeking an interview about her victory.
She told The Irish Times that she assumed the email was “some kind of scam” and dismissed it entirely until she scrolled down to her inbox and realized there was also an email from the owners. of the cabin and of Mayo’s auctioneer who helped with the transfer of the house. .
Then he realized that he had, in fact, secured his “dream home” in the west after an investment of just € 50.
“I bought five tickets a couple of weeks after reading about the cabin in The Irish Times earlier this summer, but then I completely forgot,” he said.
The home near Foxford, Co Mayo was raffled off by Canadian-based Irish owners and raised just under € 1 million which will now be used to fund educational scholarships for frontline healthcare staff.
They are both survivors of Covid-19 and decided in June to raffle their house because they wanted to give something back after surviving the virus.
His decision to raise money for frontline healthcare workers, excluding doctors and nurses, stemmed from a combination of his own recent experience with the virus, seeing friends and family around him affected by cancer, and a belief lifetime that support staff in hospitals are not recognized. They deserve it.
Tickets cost € 10 and after a bit of publicity in this newspaper, the money came in for weeks. She quickly surpassed the pair’s initial target of € 250,000.
Contributions came from all sectors, but mainly from people with ties to Ireland. Most ticket buyers bought in small quantities, while some ranged to 25 tickets for € 250.
The 150-year-old farmhouse on the Mayo side of the Ox Mountains had been put on the market through local agent CK Auctioneers earlier this year and attracted offers of up to € 90,000.
The new owner ended up paying just € 50 for the property.
“I’m definitely going to keep it, it’s the house of my dreams,” he said. “I lived in the United States for 20 years and always dreamed that I would own a country house like this near the Atlantic, but this has come like a bolt out of nowhere,” said the winner, who asked to remain anonymous.
He expressed the hope that he would be able to travel from his home in Dublin to the cottage a couple of times a month and also be able to stay there for extended periods. “Like most people, I now work remotely, so I can do my work from anywhere,” he said.
Her siblings can also look forward to receiving the keys to the new cottage and will be able to use it as a vacation home, just like their friends. “It’s so brilliant, not only did I win, but so much money was raised for charity and it’s great to see healthcare workers getting the recognition they deserve.
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