February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Niamh and Donal Finnan from Yonkers are counting their luck this week after landing a New York lottery jackpot amounting to $41 million.
Niamh Finnan, a dental hygienist who is originally from Kildare, was the sole winner of the May 16 jackpot which she and her husband scooped by means of a quick pick ticket.
The Finnans kept their win quiet for a month – at least as best they could because reports leaked out anyway – because they wanted to first consult a financial adviser.
“My husband’s the one who spent $10 on a ticket,” explained Niamh Finnan, who arrived in Yonkers 25 years ago.
“He picked the numbers himself for the first eight games and, fortunately for us, he also asked for two sets of quick pick numbers to make an even 10. None of his numbers matched, but the very first set of quick pick numbers did,” said Niamh at the presentation of the winning check.
Finnan said she learned of their big win during a transatlantic phone call from her husband after she had traveled to Ireland.
“I was in Ireland visiting family when he called with the news. I made him repeat it to my mother to make sure he was telling the truth. I knew by the tone of his voice it was true,” she said.
When she arrived back in Yonkers, Donal – the Finannan have been married for five years – presented her with the winning ticket so that she could claim in her name.
It was, he told her, “a gesture of love.”
“I think that much of her,” said Finnan, who is also a Kildare native and who works as a foreman for a concrete company in New York City.
“We’re a team,” he said.
According to the New York Lottery, Finnan will receive her prize in one lump sum payment totaling $23,269,397, less required tax withholdings. Her net check will total $15,156,057.
While they plan to make more trips back to Ireland, the Finnans say they will stay living on this side of the Atlantic.
“We are New Yorkers. We like and love New York, and we’re very happy here,” said Niamh.