A Clare native living in Galway has scooped a magnificent home in the heart of Galway City after her ticket was the first drawn in a hugely popular GAA fundraiser. The win capped off a campaign that raised more than €1.5 million for one of the west of Ireland's most ambitious sporting facility projects.
Jacqueline O'Gorman, originally from Cratloe in Co. Clare and now living in Oranmore, Co. Galway, was named the winner of the Win a Home Galway City draw at a finale event held at Keanes Bar & Restaurant in Oranmore on Monday, August 31.
"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," O'Gorman said.
O'Gorman is married to Richard Kiely from Limerick, and the couple has two sons, Sam, 8, and George, 5, who both play hurling for Oranmore Maree. O'Gorman studied at university in Galway and now works on the research and development team at 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 joked.
In just under four months, Oranmore Maree GAA One Club sold more than €1.5 million worth of tickets for the campaign, which launched in early May and drew support from Irish communities around the globe, including entries from the USA, Australia, and across Europe and Asia.
Jacqueline O'Gorman from County Clare won a beautiful apartment in Galway!
"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.
Proceeds from the draw, after the cost of purchasing the home and running the campaign, will go toward the ongoing development of the club's grounds, with particular focus on a new dressing room building currently under construction. The fundraiser also included a fixed donation of €25,000 to COPE Galway, a registered charity that provides homelessness, domestic abuse, and senior support services across the Galway community.
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"Sharon Fitzpatrick, head of development at COPE Galway, said, "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 organizations come together with a shared commitment to making a positive difference in Galway."
Jacqueline O'Gorman from County Clare won a beautiful apartment in Galway!
Padraig O'Callaghan, chairperson of the Renville Development Committee, thanked the local businesses and sponsors who backed the campaign as well as the volunteers behind it.
"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) and Chief Superintendent for the West of Ireland, Sean Colleran, who attended the draw to oversee proceedings," O'Callaghan added.
Tickets for the draw were purchased across all four provinces of Ireland, throughout Europe, and as far afield as Asia, Australia, and the USA. The full results of the draw are available at www.winahomegalwaycity.com.
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