Mark Zuckerberg buys historic Irish castle in Co Waterford

Mark Zuckerberg is putting down roots in Ireland. The Meta chief executive and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have bought Strancally Castle, a Gothic-revival estate in Co Waterford, in an off-market deal several weeks ago.

The purchase was first reported by the Irish Times, which said the couple acquired the castle and its surrounding 440 acres from owners Michael and Giancarla Alen Buckley. Details of the sale have not yet appeared on Ireland's Property Price Register, but the paper reported the property is likely to have fetched somewhere between €20 million and €30 million.

A spokesperson for Zuckerberg confirmed the news to the Business Post: "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."

A storied estate on the Blackwater

Strancally Castle sits in the Blackwater Valley, about a 30-minute drive from Youghal, according to the Irish Times. The estate was built around 1830 for John Keily, a former Tory MP, and was designed by architects James and George Richard Pain, the brothers behind Dromoland Castle in Co Clare and Blackrock Castle in Cork.

Ireland's state heritage database, Buildings of Ireland, describes the property as a "well-appointed substantial house of solid, muscular appearance," adding that its "construction in sandstone and limestone ashlar augments the dour tone of the composition while providing evidence of high quality stone masonry and craftsmanship," the Business Post reported.

The Alen Buckleys, who bought the castle 25 years ago and carried out a full restoration over the past two decades, marked the sale with a heartfelt farewell shared with the Irish Times. "We leave our home of 25 years fondly and are grateful for the opportunity we have been given to save and restore Strancally Castle," they said. "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."

Alen Buckley is a co-founder of the London investment firm RAB Capital. His wife is a daughter of the late hotelier Charles Forte and a sister of Rocco Forte.

Famous neighbors

Strancally Castle keeps notable company along the Blackwater. Nearby Ballynatray House was bought by British inventor and Dyson founder James Dyson for around €29 million in 2024, the Irish Times reported. Lismore Castle and Salterbridge House, owned by property magnate Stephen Vernon, are also in the area.

It is understood Zuckerberg and Chan will continue to live primarily in the US and plan to use the Waterford estate as a base when they visit Ireland, the Irish Times said.

A second attempt at an Irish home

This is not Zuckerberg's first pursuit of Irish property. Last year, he expressed interest in buying Castlemartin House and Estate in Co Kildare, once the home of the late businessman Tony O'Reilly, but was turned down by US telecoms billionaire John Malone, the chairman of Liberty Media, the Business Post reported.

Meta has deep ties to Ireland. The company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has based its international headquarters in Dublin since 2009 and employs approximately 1,500 people in the country, according to the Business Post.

The purchase comes at a mixed moment for the tech giant. Meta reported second-quarter revenue of $60.80 billion last month, up 28 percent year over year, but gave a disappointing forecast for the current quarter, adding pressure on Zuckerberg to show investors a return on the company's massive artificial intelligence spending, the Business Post noted.