A Florida-based Irish priest home on holidays for Christmas has scooped €500,000 on the EuroMillions Plus draw.

The retired cleric – who is originally from Co Mayo – on Friday paid a visit to the National Lottery Winner’s room to claim his prize won on a quick pick ticket purchased in Donnybrook Fair in Malahide, North Dublin, on December 22. He was one of two €500,000 EuroMillions Plus winners in Ireland from the EuroMillions Draw on December 22, and the country’s 31st EuroMillions Plus winner this year. This is the highest number of EuroMillions Plus winners in Ireland since 2009 when there were 27. The lucky priest joked that God must be listening to his prayers... as this is not his first lottery win. He revealed he at one time won IR£15,000 on the old Irish Sweepstakes (which was replaced by the national Lottery 30 years ago). And he also won amounts of $3,000 and $5,000 over the years in lotteries in the USA. But he pledged that he will share his winnings with those in need: "I suppose you can say I am lucky. But I have always had a policy of sharing my luck around. That is something that my late mother taught me, and something that was also drummed into me when I was a young priest by a Bishop. I am a big believer that what goes around comes around. "This is a huge amount of money and I look forward to giving some back." The priest heard last Saturday that one of the two winning EuroMillions Plus tickets was purchased in Donnybrook Fair in Malahide: "I didn’t get too excited when I heard this first. I went back to the shop and gave the ticket to the same girl I had purchased it from to be checked. Lo and behold there was a message on the system to contact the National Lottery! So I knew at that stage I had won." The winner, who enjoys regular visits back to Ireland and the West, said he spent a lovely Christmas day with relatives in Dublin and he let news of his good fortune slowly sink in. Meanwhile, the National Lottery said today tickets are still available for the popular Christmas Millionaire Raffle with a top prize of €1 million. The draw – which takes place on New Year’s Eve – has 55 per cent more prizes and higher odds of winning compared to last year. Tickets are €25 each and are sales are limited to 500,000.