Mark Zuckerberg buys a neo-Gothic castle in Ireland
The founder of Meta acquires the Strancally estate, of 178 hectares, to use it as a base during his stays in the Gaelic country
BarcelonaMark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and CEO of Meta, and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have bought Strancally Castle, a Gothic-style mansion located in County Waterford, in the southeast of Ireland. The estate consists of 178 hectares and the price of the operation has not been made public, although The Irish Times and calculates the value between 20 and 30 million euros. The purchase, made off-market, has been confirmed by a Meta spokesperson.
The property is located in the Blackwater River valley and the castle was built in 1830 for John Keily, a former British Conservative Member of Parliament. It was designed by architects James and George Richard Pain. The previous owners, Michael Alen-Buckley and his wife, Giancarla, acquired the estate in the early 2000s and restored it for over two decades. The couple has explained that they are leaving the property after 25 years and are confident that Zuckerberg and his family will continue to invest in its upkeep and preservation.
![Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives at the Los Angeles superior court for a civil lawsuit for anti-competitive practices on Meta platforms.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 3000 2000"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A purchase that coincides with the trial against Meta
A Meta spokesperson explained that Zuckerberg and his family are "delighted to continue looking after this historic property" and that they expect to spend time there during their stays in Ireland. Ireland hosts Meta's international headquarters, in Dublin, where the company has had a significant presence for years.
The acquisition was announced this week, coinciding with the trial Meta is facing in the United States for the accusations that its platforms can harm minors. During the process, former security engineer Arturo Béjar stated that he directly warned Zuckerberg about security and harassment issues affecting young users. Béjar worked at Facebook until 2015 and later at Meta between 2019 and 2021.
![Drawing of Strancally Castle published in 1834 in a Dublin newspaper.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1726 1314"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A real estate portfolio of hundreds of millions
The Irish castle is added to the extensive real estate portfolio of Zuckerberg and Chan. On the Hawaiian island of Kauai, the couple has the Koolau Ranch, a property of about 500 hectares in which, according to previously published estimates, they have invested hundreds of millions of dollars. The complex includes two large mansions, sports facilities, several buildings, and an underground shelter.
