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Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have purchased Strancally Castle, a Gothic-revival estate in southeastern Ireland. The purchase price has not been disclosed and does not appear in Ireland’s public property price register, though The Irish Times estimated the estate could be worth between €20 million and €30 million (approximately $23 million and $35 million). The 440-acre estate is located on the banks of the Blackwater River in County Waterford, roughly 36 miles northwest of the city of Cork.
The site of Strancally Castle dates back to the late 12th century, when a Norman fortress is believed to have occupied the grounds. The current Gothic-revival structure was designed and built around 1827 for John Keily, a former member of Parliament and the High Sheriff of County Waterford, who reportedly wanted the house built on a lavish scale.
The ground beneath the current castle, however, could carry a considerably darker history. According to local legend, documented by the English author William Howitt in 1847, there was a large hole cut into the rock beneath the castle that dropped directly into the Blackwater River below. Visitors were supposedly lured inside, bound, and dropped through the hole, with the river washing away any evidence. Regardless if there’s any truth in the tale, the estate passed through a series of wealthy Anglo-Irish families over the following century before eventually coming into the possession of the Irish Land Commission, which sold off much of the land before the house changed hands again in the latter half of the 20th century.
The most recent owners, Michael Alen-Buckley, a co-founder of the London investment firm RAB Capital, and his wife Giancarla, a member of the family behind the Rocco Forte Hotels group, purchased the property circa the year 2000 and spent two decades restoring it. “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,” the couple said in a statement.
Zuckerberg’s interest in Ireland is not new. Meta, the company he leads as chief executive, has maintained its European headquarters in Dublin since 2009 and employs approximately 1,500 people there. Ireland has long been a hub for major American technology companies, in part because of its relatively low corporate tax rate and its position within the European Union. “Mark and his family look forward to caring for this historic home and visiting when traveling to Ireland,” said Brian Baker, a spokesman for Zuckerberg told The New York Times.
The Irish castle is the latest addition to a real estate portfolio that spans the world. In Hawaii, Zuckerberg has assembled more than 2,300 acres on the island of Kauai, including two large mansions and an underground shelter. In Palo Alto, California, he spent more than $43 million buying up neighboring properties to create a private compound near Meta’s global headquarters. On the west shore of Lake Tahoe just a few hours north, he purchased two adjacent waterfront estates for a combined $59 million and is now developing them into a sprawling multi-building retreat. He also owns a $23 million mansion in Washington, D.C., and a $170 million waterfront estate in Miami Beach, which set a residential sales record for the county when it sold. He also owns a 387-foot private yacht named “Launchpad.”
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