When she won the €32 million EuroMillions jackpot, in December 2013, Margaret Loughrey swore she was going to spread the money around and 'do the right thing'. True to her word, she has already given away half her fortune to people in need and to good causes, but some of her recent actions have made her name newsworthy for all the wrong reasons.
The local cricket team in Strabane, Ireland, forfeited the last two games of the season after Loughrey locked them out of their training ground due to a dispute over some keys.
Loughrey acquired the ground, along with the nearby bowling green, when she purchased the Herdman's Mill site, which she intends to turn into a tourist attraction. She made her decision to padlock the gate because the club failed to ensure she had access to the site.
Loughrey said: "Where it sits is this: it's my land and I was locked out of it. All they had to do was meet with me, because I'm very easy worked with."
When the team was unable to play a home fixture on August 30, 2014, it was the first time a game had been forfeited in the clubs 150-year history, so local emotions are running quite high.
Club officials said: "This incident has created a lot of apprehension in the village and throughout cricketing circles in the north west."
Last week the local bowling team felt the EuroMillions Winner's wrath when she banned them from using the green as a reprimand for making her feel unwelcome.
"I was up there one night with a friend," Loughrey told the Strabane Chronicle, "and the attitude from the bowlers wasn't great. One of them said to me: 'What are you doing here?'"
Representatives from the two clubs are hoping the problems will be resolved in the near future.
