Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Meta, and his wife Priscilla Chan have acquired Strancally castle and its surrounding 178-hectare estate located in county Waterford, Ireland. The couple plans to use the property as a residence during their visits to the country, where Meta operates its international headquarters. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the purchase on Thursday, stating the family looks forward to spending time in Ireland while maintaining the historic property.
The exact purchase price for the off-market transaction was not disclosed, though the Irish Times estimated the property’s value between €20m and €30m. To provide context, this represents approximately 10% of the cost of Zuckerberg’s 387-foot superyacht. The castle was originally constructed in 1830 for John Keily, a former Conservative MP, and was designed by architects James and George Richard Pain on an expansive scale. Historical records note the estate’s architectural grandeur, including a considerable distance between certain rooms within the main residence.
The property was previously owned by Michael Alen-Buckley, co-founder of the London-based investment firm RAB Capital, and his wife Giancarla, a member of the family associated with the Rocco Forte Hotels group. The couple purchased and renovated the estate during the early 2000s and occupied it for approximately 25 years. In a statement, they expressed satisfaction that Zuckerberg and his family intend to continue investing in the castle’s preservation and grounds management in a sustainable manner.
The Blackwater valley region, where Strancally castle is situated, has seen increased interest from prominent entrepreneurs and technology sector figures. Other notable acquisitions in the area include entrepreneur James Dyson’s purchase of Ballynatray House in 2024 and John Collison, co-founder of technology platform Stripe, buying Abbey Leix estate in County Laois in 2021.
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