A family is celebrating after receiving the keys to a brand new house in Dublin, worth €375,000, which they won in a raffle.

The Akkapelli family entered the draw for the three bedroom property in Barnwell at the end of last year, after seeing an ad on Facebook.

The €100-a-ticket raffle was organised by the Cavan GAA County Board to raise funds for a new GAA centre of excellence beside the county grounds at Breffni Park.

Venkat Reddy Akkapelli, his wife Ambica Chada and and their son Gautam Rana say they are still coming to terms with a "dream come true."

Mr Akkapelli, an Irish citizen of Indian descent who moved to Ireland from southern India over 10 years ago, said winning a mortgage free house is "life changing" for his family.

He bought the ticket on 30 December, the day before the draw took place, and he said the €100 cost was "definitely worth it."

"We were planning to buy a house and luckily I bought a ticket. I'm the winner of the house, I’m the owner of a brand new house now," he added.

The mortgage adviser and his family currently live in a small apartment in Dublin city, from which they plan to move out in the next few months.

He said he is "the happiest person" following the big win.

The keys to the new three bedroom property in Dublin 15 were presented to the family yesterday by members of the Cavan GAA County Board.

Kieran Callaghan, the Chairman of Cavan GAA, said over 11,000 tickets were sold for the draw, raising more €600,000 for investment in new facilities.

It will include the creation of three new full-size and floodlit grass pitches, a high performance gym and a community walking and running track.

He thanked developers McGarrell Reilly Group for their "support and generosity in securing the house" in Dublin.

House raffles have become a popular fundraising initiative for GAA clubs and county boards around the country.