The officials at a GAA club outside Letterkenny in County Donegal have launched their “Super House Draw 2017” to raise funds for the club. What makes their club raffle extra special is that among the ten main prizes is a three-bedroom, semi-detached house worth almost €155,00 ($165,000). According to the club the tickets cost just €100 ($106) each and could “make the perfect gift for Christmas” or fulfill a lifelong dream…a home in Ireland. (entry info at end of article)

St Eunan’s GAA hopes to raise enough money in the draw to enable them to build a new all-weather, flood-lit AstroTurf pitch at the club’s O’Donnell Park home.

The big prize up for grabs is a three-bedroom, semi-detached home in the Rann Mór Meadow development, which is a few minutes walk from the center of Letterkenny. The house is “A” energy-rated with solar panels already installed.

Club Treasurer Niall Doherty said Ireland’s tourism initiative, The Wild Atlantic Way, and the rise in popularity of County Donegal means that a lot of “people wouldn’t mind a holiday home up here.” Already St Eunan’s has sold tickets to every county in Ireland and further afield.

He said tickets also have been attracting interest from locals living abroad, who were forced to emigrate during the economic crash and who are now looking to move back to Ireland.

He told the Irish Examiner “Can you imagine having the chance to come home to a house that has everything, including a kitchen and flooring?

“That would be a huge start in life for any young couple and it’s a great incentive to come home.”

This isn’t the first time St Eunan’s has given away a house and Doherty said he feels it is the right time to have a “House Draw.”

Speaking to the Irish Independent he said, “We had a draw for a house in 2007 it is no secret that that the economy has suffered a crash since then. Over the last year or two there have been some signs of a recovery and most people would agree that things aren’t as bad as they were seven or eight years ago.

“However, one thing has happened and it has become increasingly difficult for those that have graduated from college or managed to land their first job to get a foothold on the property ladder with mortgages proving harder to attain than in times gone by.

 “With this in mind, we felt the time is now right to once again offer the opportunity for one lucky person to win the home of their dreams – a home valued at €155,000.”

The runner-up prizes in the raffle include a one-week all-inclusive cruise to the Mediterranean and a weekend for two in Ashford Castle and Country Estate.

Ciaran Haran, Draw Coordinator, said the development of the grounds in O’Donnell Park will benefit the wider Letterkenny and Donegal GAA communities. In a statement he said, “We are aware that this project is a massive undertaking and are calling on all the people of Letterkenny and our friends in other GAA clubs across Donegal, Ulster and Ireland to support our fundraising efforts.”

Tickets for the “House Draw” are available locally in Letterkenny or online at KlubFunder.com/clubs/st_eunans. The draw will take place in Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny, on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017.