Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have purchased Strancally Castle, a historic Gothic Revival house in County Waterford, Ireland. The acquisition was confirmed on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Zuckerberg stated that the couple is "excited to continue caring for this historic home and look forward to spending time in Ireland." Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, maintains its international headquarters in Dublin, and the castle is expected to be used for business purposes during visits.
The castle, built around 1830 by architects James and George Richard Pain for Member of Parliament John Keily, has a documented history dating back centuries. However, according to an account from English author William Howitt in his 1847 work "Homes and Haunts of the Most Eminent British Poets," the original site of Strancally Castle, located about two miles from the current structure, was rumored to be a place of death.
Howitt described the original site as a "murder-hole" where unsuspecting individuals were lured, tied up, and hung to be carried away by the river. He noted that this was a tale told by neighboring peasants, though he expressed personal skepticism about the legend's veracity. The present castle was later owned by the Whitelocke-Lloyd family before being acquired by the Irish Land Commission in the mid-20th century. The property was sold to Zuckerberg by the Alen-Buckley family.
It is not known how much Zuckerberg paid for the castle, which was acquired in an off-market transaction. Strancally Castle and its estate have undergone extensive renovations over the last two decades by its previous owners. Zuckerberg and Chan reside in the United States and will continue to do so, using the Irish property for business-related stays.