Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire chief executive behind social media giant Meta, and his wife Priscilla Chan have bought Strancally Castle in Co Waterford.
Although the details of the off-market transaction have yet to appear on the Property Price Register, The Irish Times understands that the couple completed the purchase of the Gothic-revival style house and its 440-acre estate on the banks of the river Blackwater from owners Michael and Giancarla Alen Buckley several weeks ago.
While the price paid by Zuckerberg is unknown at this point, the estate could have achieved anywhere between €20 million and €30 million given the quality of the residence, which has undergone a full restoration over the past 20 years.
In a brief statement issued on Thursday morning, a spokesman for Zuckerberg confirmed the Meta chief’s purchase of the Waterford property. “Mark and his family are excited to continue caring for this historic home and look forward to spending time in Ireland, where Meta maintains its international headquarters,” he said.
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Strancally Castle, a 30-minute drive from Youghal, is located in the heart of the Blackwater Valley and is close to Ballynatray House, which billionaire British inventor James Dyson acquired for about €29 million in 2024.
Lismore Castle and Salterbridge House, which is owned by British-born property magnate Stephen Vernon, are also nearby.
Built originally around 1830 for John Keily, a former Tory MP, Strancally Castle was, according to its description in Brian De Breffney and Rosemary Ffolliott’s book The Houses of Ireland, “designed by the Pain brothers on a lavish scale; it took a brisk walk of 4½ minutes to reach the diningroom from the kitchen”.
Architects James and George Richard Pain designed the main house and a nearby folly tower house and an inlet quay on the banks of the river Blackwater.
The Pains also designed Dromoland Castle in Co Clare, Cork County Gaol and Blackrock Castle in Cork.
Alen Buckley, a cofounder of London-headquartered private investment firm RAB Capital, and his wife, who is a daughter of the late Charles Forte and sister of Rocco Forte of the Rocco Forte Hotels group, acquired Strancally Castle 25 years ago.
The three-storey building extends to 16,000sq ft. In a statement issued to The Irish Times, they said: “We leave our home of 25 years fondly and are grateful for the opportunity we have been given to save and restore Strancally Castle ... We are delighted that Mark and his family intend to build on our stewardship by continuing to invest in maintaining and enhancing the property and grounds as their home in a sustainable manner ... We wish them and their family much happiness in this unique and blessed place”.
It is understood Zuckerberg and his wife will continue to live in the United States and intend to use Strancally Castle when in Ireland, where Meta, owner of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, has had its European headquarters since 2009. The company employs about 1,500 people in Ireland.
Zuckerberg’s interest in acquiring a home here emerged last summer when Liberty Media billionaire owner John Malone told the Wall Street Journal that the Meta chief had offered to buy his Castlemartin House and Estate in Kildare from him.
