A CO CLARE syndicate of 24 gardai shared the £601,493 Lotto jackpot on Saturday night. They are based at Ennistymon Garda station and each got about £12,000. They share the jackpot with one other winner. The group has been picking numbers since 1987, according to the winners.
One of the winners, Garda Martin Crehan, who was on duty yesterday, told The Irish Times they normally do the same numbers but there was a mistake on Saturday night. They did a quick pick and it was this impromptu selection that won the money.
He added: "We had five on a couple of occasions and we are doing it so long we did not believe it when we won it. There are a lot of calls coming in from people congratulating us and wishing us luck." Asked who will go to collect the cheque he said: "It is quite possible all 24 of us will go and then we will have the party."