Search

08 Sept 2025

Kilkenny woman's Lotto déjà vu with SECOND huge birthday win!

Stoneyford woman wins €50,000 on birthday scratch card

Anne Foley from Stoneyford

Anne Foley from Stoneyford collecting her National Lottery winnings!!

Reporter:

Kilkenny People reporter

19 Feb 2025 10:27 AM

Email:

news@kilkennypeople.ie

They say a déjà vu is an illusion of memory, but for Anne Foley, her illusion was a reality.
Anne's 60th birthday was already shaping up to be memorable. Surrounded by family and friends at a surprise celebration, she was handed a small, colourful envelope. Inside was a birthday card with a scratch card—a surprise that would soon bring an unexpected burst of joy into her life... again! 
 
Anne later sat down and scratched away at the card, revealing a modest €10 win. "Not bad," she thought, trading it in for a Bingo Multiplier scratch card from Walshe’s Shop on Main Street, Stoneyford,  unaware of the extraordinary twist of fate awaiting her. 
 
As she got comfortable to scratch the new card, her eyes widened in disbelief. She had won the top prize of €50,000 - lost in a whirlwind of déjà vu because eight years ago, on her 52nd birthday, she had won the exact same amount on a scratch card gifted to her by her mother. 
 
The similarities were uncanny. It was the same time of day, and her son was in the shower, just as he had been eight years ago. Her husband, David, called her to check in on his way home from work, just like before. It was as if time had folded in on itself, creating a magical moment of synchronicity. 
 
“I was lost for words – I couldn’t believe that it had happened again! The fact that it all unfolded just like it did 8 years ago, almost spooked me out, but I wasn’t complaining!”  
 
“The last time I won, we were able to clear the remainder of our mortgage and tackle some home improvements that I had on the list, it really made such a difference to our lives.” 
 
Anne couldn't help but laugh at the sheer strangeness of it all. "Lightning really does strike twice", she said.  
 
Reflecting on the moment, she was reminded of the joy that could be found in the most unexpected places... even on a scratch card! With her winnings this time round, Anne hopes to add solar panels to her home, and is looking forward to cruising around the Caribbean islands to soak up the sunshine with her husband. 
 
Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on all National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage, and the Irish Language. In total, more than €6.5 billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 37 years ago. In 2023 alone, €227.9 million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.  

To continue reading this article,
please subscribe and support local journalism!

Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.

Subscribe

To continue reading this article for FREE,
please kindly register and/or log in.

Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!

Register / Login

Most Popular

Sponsored Content

Multimedia

We've got Donegal Covered...

Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie

Buy a paper

Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.

Buy Now
Get the news

Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.

Register Here
Iconic Media is Ireland's largest independently owned regional newspaper and media group, with an unrivalled audience in print, online and mobile. We have 19 regional newspapers and 21 digital sites.

Iconic Digital Titles

  • Carlow Live
  • Clare Live
  • Derry Now
  • Donegal Live
  • Éire Bheo
  • Inish Live
  • Ireland Live
  • Kildare Live
  • Kildare Now
  • Kilkenny Live
  • Laois Live
  • Leitrim Live
  • Letterkenny Live
  • Limerick Live
  • Longford Live
  • Louth Live
  • Mayo Live
  • Nenagh Live
  • Offaly Live
  • Tipperary Live
  • Waterford Live

    • Iconic Print Titles

  • Clonmel Nationalist
  • County Derry Post
  • Derry News
  • Donegal Democrat
  • Donegal Post
  • Dundalk Democrat
  • Homes in Donegal
  • Inish Times
  • Kilkenny People
  • Leinster Express
  • Leinster Leader
  • Leitrim Observer
  • Letterkenny Live
  • Limerick Leader
  • Longford Leader
  • Mayo News
  • Midland Tribune
  • Tipperary Star
  • Tullamore Tribune

    • This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.

    © 2025 Iconic Media