Zuckerberg buys 440-acre Strancally castle estate in Ireland to use during visits
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have bought the gothic Strancally castle and its 178-hectare estate in County Waterford, Ireland. The couple will use the property as a base when visiting the country, where Meta has its international headquarters.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have become the new owners of Strancally castle in County Waterford, southern Ireland. The off-market deal includes the surrounding 178-hectare (440-acre) estate.
A company spokesperson said on Thursday that Zuckerberg and his family are pleased to continue caring for the historic property and look forward to spending time there, given that Ireland hosts Meta's international headquarters.
Price undisclosed
The amount paid has not been made public, but the Irish Times, which first reported the sale, estimated its value at between €20m and €30m — roughly a tenth of what Zuckerberg reportedly spent on his 387ft superyacht.
A storied building
Strancally castle was built in 1830 for John Keily, a former Conservative MP, and was designed on a grand scale by architects James and George Richard Pain. According to the book The Houses of Ireland, walking from the dining room to the kitchen takes several brisk minutes due to the building's size.
The previous owners were Michael Alen-Buckley, co-founder of investment firm RAB Capital, and his wife Giancarla, who is connected to the family behind the Rocco Forte Hotels group. The couple restored the estate in the early 2000s and lived there for 25 years. In a statement, they said they were glad the new owners intended to keep investing in maintaining and enhancing the property sustainably.
Ireland's National Built Heritage Service, a state agency protecting architectural heritage, notes that the castle's sandstone and limestone construction reflects high-quality stonemasonry.
The wider Blackwater valley is home to several other notable estates: entrepreneur James Dyson bought nearby Ballynatray House in 2024, while Stripe co-founder John Collison acquired the Abbey Leix estate in County Laois in 2021.
