WATCH: American woman picks up keys to new Leitrim home won in online raffle

An American woman who won a cottage in Co Leitrim through a raffle has been presented with the keys to her new home.

Kathleen Spangler from Chicago won the home called Butterfly Cottage in an online raffle which was hosted by the owner Imelda Collins.

The draw for the home took place on May 22, 2025.

The Co Leitrim cottage, which is worth €300,000, was sold by Ms Collins through an online raffle and generated €1.2m in gross ticket revenue. It is understood Ms Collins will have to pay various fees such as €25,000 in marketing costs and €2,600 in affiliate fees. Raffall, the lottery agent she chose also takes 10%.

Ms Collins will also pay 33% in capital gains tax along with agreeing to pay the winner's stamp duty and legal fees as part of the prize.

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The two-bedroom house which was renovated in 2022 comes with 1.75 Acres of land, situated in Leitrim with a mountain view, and is only a 15-minute drive from Sligo.

Imelda decided to raffle the house instead of selling it after reading articles online about others doing the same thing. 

“I just read about a lot of articles online about people who would raffle their homes and it just seemed interesting, and I thought I would give it a go,” she said.

Ms Collins said the more she learned about Kathleen, the more she was "convinced" the house was "meant to be hers".

Ms Spangler's grandmother is from Mayo, and her great grandfather is from Sligo, and she spent her honeymoon in Leitrim in 2022.