I Won't Be Retiring' Says Millionaire Jim
National Lottery millionaire Jim Hume's feet still haven't touched the ground since picking up his whopping 1.25m cheque on Thursday.
And while the 60-year old is still coming to terms with his life-changing win, one thing is certain - he won't be retiring. "I'll be going back to work next Monday as usual," said Jim, who is an area manager for Nugent's bar supplies firm in Lurgan, Co. Armagh.
"At the end of the day, when you convert the winnings into Sterling, it's not a million anymore, it's around £860,000. You lose a good bit in the conversion," the father-of-three told the 'Journal' yesterday.
"I'll be looking after my children and grandchildren first and foremost and I don't know what I'll do with the rest. But if a nice holiday home presents itself, then who knows?" he added.
Jim, who lives at Church View in Strabane, was on his annual summer holidays when he discovered he had won a half share in last Wednesday's midweek Irish Lotto jackpot of more than 2.5million. His precise winnings were 1,254,049 with a 4 ticket he bought in O'Neill's of Bridgend on the day of the draw.
What many won't know, however, is that four of Jim's winning numbers, which he plays every week, were replicated on another line of the same ticket, winning him a further S 40. And as if to prove that good luck comes in threes, Jim won a further d 18 with his favourite numbers in Saturday's LOTTO draw.
Commenting on the minute he realised his mega-win however, he said: "I discovered I had won at 11.45pm on Wednesday night when I checked my ticket at the kitchen table. I let a roar out to Brenda, who was in bed, that I had won the LOTTO and I will not repeat what she said to me," he laughed. "I have played LOTTO every week since it started and the most I had won in the past was a Match 5 prize some years ago," he added.
The other half-share winners are understood to be a young Spanish couple who purchased their ticket in Dublin's Exchequer Street. It has been reported they have since returned to Spain to contemplate their windfall.
The youngest brother of Nobel Peace Laureate, John Hume, Jim and Brenda have three children, Liam, Sharon and Grainne and five grandchildren Deirbhile (2), Maeliosa (9), Oilbhea (5), Aoife (7) and Cahir (4).
Jim is still on holidays and plans to take a couple of days' break somewhere in Donegal, though he is coy about the exact location. "Hopefully, all the fuss will eventually die down and we can get back to normal."
But Jim is clearly thrilled with his win and the possibilities it now affords him and his family.
"It's a manageable sum and it's a very nice position to be in to know that you can live comfortably. "My mother Annie, God rest her, if she was still alive would be very, very proud today," he adds.
According to National Lottery figures, Jim was the sixth person to purchase a jackpot ticket at O'Neill's and the 72nd person from Northern Ireland to win the jackpot prize.
