Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg has purchased a castle in Ireland along with its 440-acre estate, further expanding his vast portfolio of properties.
The Facebook founder and his wife, Priscilla Chan, bought Strancally Castle in County Waterford. The transaction was finalized just a few weeks ago through a private agreement.
The exact purchase price has not been disclosed. However, according to The Irish Times—the newspaper that first reported the story—the Gothic-style castle and its grounds are estimated to be worth between €20 million and €30 million (£17.1 million).
The 16,000-square-foot property is situated on the banks of the River Blackwater, approximately a 30-minute drive from the town of Youghal in southern Ireland. The castle has undergone renovations over the past 20 years.
The castle was originally built around 1830 for John Keily, a Member of Parliament representing the Tory party. It was designed by the brothers James and George Richard Pain.
The duo also designed Dromoland Castle in County Clare, the Cork County Gaol, and Blackrock Castle in Cork City.
The Meta CEO purchased the property from Michael and Giancarla Allen-Buckley, who had owned it for the past 25 years.
Mr. Buckley is a co-founder of the London-based investment firm RAB Capital. Meanwhile, Mrs. Allen-Buckley is the daughter of the late hotelier Charles Forte and the sister of Rocco Forte, founder of the Rocco Forte Hotels group.
The couple expressed their delight that Zuckerberg and his family intend to continue investing in the property and the surrounding land.
It is understood that Zuckerberg and Chan will continue to reside in the United States but will use Strancally Castle when visiting Ireland.
Meta has maintained its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, since 2009 and employs approximately 1,500 people in the country. News of Zuckerberg’s interest in purchasing a home in Ireland first emerged last year. At the time, billionaire businessman John Malone told The Wall Street Journal that the Meta chief had offered to buy his Castlemartin House and estate in County Kildare.
However, Mr. Malone, the owner of Liberty Media, declined to sell the property.
Zuckerberg has an estimated net worth of $190 billion. He already owns vast amounts of property across the United States.
He has purchased over 1,000 acres of land on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Reports indicate he is developing a massive complex there, featuring two large houses and a 5,000-square-foot underground shelter or bunker.
It is believed that Zuckerberg has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on land acquisition and construction at the site.
He also owns multiple adjacent properties on the western shore of Lake Tahoe, a vacation destination straddling the California-Nevada border.
In 2018, Zuckerberg bought two properties there for $59 million. He is currently developing an estate comprising seven buildings at the location.
It has been reported that earlier this year, Zuckerberg and his wife, Chan, purchased a massive home on Indian Creek Island in Miami for $170 million. This luxury enclave is known as “Billionaire Bunker.”
News of this potential property purchase in Ireland has surfaced just as Meta faces a major legal battle in the United States.
The company is facing litigation in California following allegations from 29 US states. They allege that Facebook and Instagram were designed to be addictive to children and that the public was misled regarding the platforms’ safety.
Meta, however, has denied these allegations.
