Jacqueline O’Gorman from Cratloe in Co. Clare but living in Oranmore, Co. Galway is the owner of a magnificent home in the heart of Galway after winning the hugely exciting Win a Home Galway City fundraising draw. Jacqueline’s ticket was the first out at the big finale at Keanes Bar & Restaurant in Oranmore, Co. Galway on Monday night.
“I still can’t comprehend it. I never thought I was going to win it when we bought tickets through the club. You just dream about things like this. The last time I won anything was in the Easter raffle in primary school,” said Jacqueline.
The Clare native is married to Richard Kiely from Limerick and they have two boys, Sam (aged 8) and George (aged 5) who both play hurling for Oranmore Maree. Jacqueline went to university in Galway and now works as part of the R&D team in Medtronic.
“I’ve been living in Galway for over 20 years and we love Oranmore. My two boys now have somewhere to stay if they go to college in years to come,” she jokingly added.
In just under four months, Oranmore Maree GAA One Club raised over €1.5 million in ticket sales with the fundraising project proving to be a huge success. “I just want to thank everybody who supported us and bought tickets since we launched our campaign in early May. The response locally, nationally and around the world has just been fantastic. By the end of this year, we will have invested over €6m in the development of our state-of-the-art facilities in Chubb Renville Gaelic Grounds and this brilliant fundraiser will be a vitally important contribution to the success of the project,” said Sean Greene, Chairperson of the Oranmore Maree GAA One Club.
The funds raised minus the cost of purchasing the property and the running costs of the fundraiser are going towards the continued development of facilities at the grounds and in particular to help fund the new dressing room building currently under construction on the site. “We were also delighted the fundraising draw was able to support registered charity COPE Galway. They receive a fixed donation of €25,000 from this fundraiser to support its excellent work in providing homelessness, domestic abuse and senior support services to the Galway community,” said Padraig O’Callaghan, Chairperson, Renville Development Committee.
"COPE Galway is delighted to receive this generous donation of €25,000 from the Win a Home Galway City campaign. We are incredibly grateful to Oranmore Maree GAA One Club, the campaign partners, sponsors and, most importantly, everyone who supported the fundraiser and helped make this donation possible. This wonderful contribution will make a real difference to people and families across the Galway community. The funds will support our work with people experiencing homelessness, women and children subjected to domestic abuse, and in supporting older people to live with dignity, independence and connection in their communities. We are deeply appreciative of the generosity, commitment and community spirit behind the Win a Home campaign. It is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when people, clubs, businesses and community organisations come together with a shared commitment to making a positive difference in Galway,” said Sharon Fitzpatrick, Head of Development, COPE Galway.
“I’d also like to thank all the local businesses that helped us along the way as well as all those who kindly sponsored bonus prizes. But a special word of thanks to the brilliant project team who worked tirelessly on this draw and to our special guest Kate Geraghty, All Ireland Senior Ladies Football winning captain with Galway who joined us on the night to draw the winning ticket. Finally, thank you to our wonderful MC Ronan Lardner (GBFM), Maurice O’Shea (Partner, Moore Ireland) & Chief Superintendent for the West of Ireland, Sean Colleran who attended the draw to oversee proceedings,” added Padraig.
Tickets were bought in all four provinces, across Europe and around the world including Asia and Australia as well as all over the USA. The full draw is available on the website www.winahomegalwaycity.com.
