Margaret Loughrey, from Strabane in Northern Ireland, who won £27 million in the national lottery, killed herself a few days ago. Some months after her huge win, she said "If there is a hell, I have been in it. It has been that bad. I was a happy person before. All it has done is destroy my life."
She bought a historic old mill that was plagued by fires and vandalism. She was found guilty of assaulting a taxi driver while drunk. She was ordered to pay £30,000 for discriminating against a Catholic employee. And other unspecified mishaps.
She only bought a lottery ticket on the spur of the moment. She was living on welfare benefits of £58 ($80.50) a week and was returning home from the Job Centre when she decided to buy the ticket.
I wouldn't want to win such a vast sum. I wouldn't know what to do with it. I'd hate all the attention I'd get, especially from people wanting handouts or people who hated me for getting such a windfall. Everyone would be gossiping about me behind my back.
Whoever I gave money to, other people would be saying I should have given the money to them or someone else more deserving. Every Tom, Dick and Harriet would give me unsolicited advice on how to spend the money. I'd suspect every friendly approach of hiding an appeal for cash.
There's the option of receiving the money anonymously, but I doubt that would last very long. Once I was seen to be spending on a lavish scale, questions would be asked and my win would surely become known.
No fortune for me, thanks. I'm very happy just as I am.
Pic: Margaret Loughrey
Sounds like some of it she brought on herself? With that kind of fortune, I’d think you could find plenty of worthy charities to donate to. I’ll never buy a lottery ticket, so it’s not on my worry list.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: It looks like she had a drink issue, judging by the taxi assault. I think part of her problem also was that she needed to hire knowledgeable professionals to manage her various projects but tried to do everything herself (she wanted to turn the old mill into a leisure centre and she wanted to build some affordable houses).
DeleteI personally know of one person who won the lottery twice and has settled down very well in life after having gone through very rough times before he won the first. I suppose that it all depends on the basic value system of the person who wins the lottery.
ReplyDeleteRamana: Yes, I guess your basic value system is important. But also not embarking on grand projects you're not capable of managing properly.
DeleteIf ever it happened to me, I would take several months before spending a dime of it. I'd start some charitable foundations along with Daughter and Grandgirl focusing primarily on the education of girls and women. There could be so much benefit in endowing housing projects, etc. with the homeless in mind.
ReplyDeleteI would keep very little for myself. I don't understand the greed of me-me-me that takes over someone's mind.
Then again, I never buy lottery tickets but am often gifted with them :)
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www: Charitable foundations would be good. And housing projects too. It would certainly be immoral to hang on to it all so you can boast about your wealth.
DeleteWhat a pity to go from rags to riches and be made miserable. To commit suicide, she had underlying mental health issues and no support system. People need other people. One aspect of someone with dementia or poor mental health is they think they are the brightest bulb, sharpest knife in the drawer, etc. This makes it hard for them to recognize who is really on their side and who is manipulating them.
ReplyDeleteI've got handicapped siblings. There are people who are sincere but the crafty ones are always in the shadows waiting. The world is not a pretty place.
Ann: Maybe mental health issues, maybe just careless and disorganised. No, the world is not a pretty place. Sometimes it seems to be getting uglier by the day.
DeleteI probably would give most of it to charities I already support. After paying taxes, of course. If I ever bought a ticket in the first place.
ReplyDeleteLinda: I would give a lot to charity, but I'd have to be sure they would spend the money wisely and not waste it. I bought a couple of lottery tickets just after the lottery started, but none since then.
DeleteI’d enjoy planning to give it away
ReplyDeleteJohn: Yes, that would be fun. It would feel good to give some charity a huge and unexpected windfall.
DeleteAs I donlt buy a ticket, the question does not arise....but if a windfall of that magnitude fell into my lap I would stay very quiet until I had researched properly to set up an animal refuge and veterinary centre.
ReplyDeleteFly: An animal refuge and veterinary centre sounds good. And yes, it would need to be properly planned and researched to avoid a shambles farther down the line.
DeleteIf we were to win that much (or any large lottery), the first thing would be to disappear and buy a home where no one knows us, then let select people know where we are. Arkansas requires the winners names be released, which is why we would move -- and that would be before we claimed the prize. We don't have any favorite charities or causes, but I'm sure we would figure that out... after we made sure we were set up financially stable (as we are now, but better) in a much nicer home in a primo location and take care of our kids and grandkids.
ReplyDeleteMike: It would be very sensible to move to some place where nobody knows you and (hopefully) you would get no special attention. As long as some nosy journalist didn't track you down....
DeleteI'd know what to do with it. I would be a fine upstanding custodian of such a sum - if you ever need any help with such a problem you know where I am.
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Ms Scarlet: I doubt you would be a reliable custodian. But in recognition of our long-standing friendship and mutual admiration, you would of course be the very first person to receive at least £1 million.
DeleteI think it depends on your personality as to how you would act when you win a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteMary: Very true. It looks like she took on a huge project (restoring the old mill) that was too much for her to handle.
DeleteI agree with Mary. I'm very happy with my life but I would like to win a few million to set my daughters and grandson up, help a friend who is struggling, and have a few more travel adventures before getting too old!!
ReplyDeletePolly: I see people struggling and I'd love to be wealthy enough to write them a fat cheque and end their struggles.
DeleteIf you won, you wouldn't have to spend on a lavish scale. In fact, I would think it might be wise to not alter your lifestyle extensively, but only very gradually. Anon is the only way to go if possible I think.
ReplyDeleteI recall a man here who did have sizable winnings but not an exceptionally large amount. He was able to buy a large house, set a family member up in business, help other family members but there must have been a planning breakdown somewhere. None of the others seemed to be able to handle whaat they were given, the business went broke, the winner ultimately lost his home and went bankrupt and had to get a job.
Joared: That's a sad story. Clearly neither he or the family members were able to handle large sums of money and it just somehow slipped through their fingers.
DeleteThat was a sad tale about Ms. Loughrey, Nick, and I followed the provided link to read more. It indicated she had given away some of her fortune, but apparently was still left unhappy. Her story is not unusual in that I have seen others here in the U.S. where big lottery wins have brought misery to the winners and even death. Of course, that has not happened to everyone, but it seems the saddest ones gather the biggest headlines. No danger that I will succumb to any windfall as I do not buy lottery tickets, so my not buying them is my windfall.
ReplyDeleteBeatrice: It's not clear why she was so unhappy. Perhaps she just had lots of begging letters and people jealous of her good fortune?
DeleteCan you really blame assaulting someone while drunk on a lottery win? Or discriminating against an employee?
ReplyDeleteIf I could win anonymously, I'd love to. I wouldn't start spending lavishly, but there would be so many people I could help. And I'd love to buy up land to preserve it. But all that would require me actually buying lottery tickets.
Agent: I agree, her misbehaviour was purely her own doing, nothing to do with the lottery win. I think she had an unstable personality that meant she couldn't cope with her unexpected wealth.
DeleteThat's sad that it ended that way for her.
ReplyDeleteDanielle: Indeed. It could have really opened up her life, but instead it was a disaster.
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