Connemara Chamber raise over €1.8million with Win a Home in Clifden raffle

Douglas Berg (aged 59) from Wisconsin, USA but with Irish connections is the owner of a magnificent 3-bedroom luxurious duplex apartment in Clifden, Connemara, Co. Galway on the Wild Atlantic Way after winning the hugely exciting Win a Home in Clifden fundraising draw.

Douglas Berg's ticket was the first ticket out of the drum at the big finale at the magnificent Clifden Station House Theatre on Thursday night.

"I just couldn’t believe it when I got the call. It’s a fantastic apartment in such a beautiful location. It’s always been a dream of mine to buy a property in Ireland," said Douglas, whose great-great-grandfather was Robert Barry from Carna and great-great-grandmother was Barbara Conneely from Lettermullan. His great-grandfather was William Barry from Inverin.

Douglas has been to Ireland numerous times over the years and is a regular visitor and friend of the Emigrants and Diaspora Centre in Carna which is run by well known Galway journalist Máirtín Ó Catháin, a cousin of the winner who was in the audience for the big draw finale.

In just over four months, Connemara Chamber raised more than €1.8 million, making it one of the most successful fundraising draws ever to take place on this Island. "I just want to thank everybody who supported us and bought tickets since we launched our campaign last April. The response locally, nationally and overseas has just been incredible," said John Sweeney, Chairperson of Connemara Chamber and the Win A Home in Clifden project.

All proceeds from the draw are going towards the development of a state-of-the-art community and enterprise hub in the centre of Clifden, a project led by the Connemara Chamber. The hub will provide vital professional resources and support to local businesses, fostering efficiency, productivity and innovation, and creating new opportunities for the entire community.

"I’d also like to thank our members and all the local businesses who helped us along the way. But a special word of thanks to the brilliant team who worked tirelessly on this draw in Terry O’Toole, Damien Joyce, Simon Ashe, Conall Joyce, Sadhbh O’Gorman, Bernie Collins, Nicole Bann, Michelle Price, Aidan Brady (Aidan Brady & Co. Ltd), Cormac Donoghue (JEL Marketing) and Paul Byrnes Media,” added John.

Tickets were bought in all 32 counties and in 40 countries around the world including the UK, across Europe, adnd Asia. Tickets were also sold in Australia and in all 50 American states. The full draw and details of all the prize winners are on the website www.winahomeinclifden.com