- Zuckerberg purchased Strancally Castle in County Waterford
- Property comprises 16,000 sq ft on 440 acres on River Blackwater
- Built 1827 as Gothic revival house for former Tory MP John Kiely
- Meta employs 1,500 people in Ireland with HQ in Dublin
- James Dyson bought nearby Ballynatray House two years ago
Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has become the new owner of Strancally Castle in County Waterford, with a spokesperson confirming the acquisition to RTÉ’s News at One. The billionaire social media company owner and his family will continue to live in the United States and will use the property in Waterford when carrying out Meta business in Ireland. Facebook opened its international headquarters in Dublin in 2009, and Meta currently employs approximately 1,500 people in Ireland.
Strancally Castle is located on the banks of the River Blackwater and is described as a three-storey cut stone Gothic revival style house built in 1827 for former Tory MP John Kiely. The current castle is situated approximately 4.5km upriver from the ruins of the original Strancally Castle, which was one of several fortifications built in the area by the Desmond family. The property comprises approximately 16,000 square feet set on about 440 acres and underwent refurbishments under previous ownership.
Ireland is home to Meta’s international headquarters in Dublin, its Reality Labs virtual reality and augmented reality business in Cork, and a data centre in Clonee, County Meath. The current house was owned for more than 20 years by the Alen-Buckley family, with Michael Alen-Buckley a co-founder of the London-based private investment firm RAB Capital. Strancally is located approximately 20km north of Youghal in County Cork and is one of several historic houses and estates in the Blackwater Valley area, close to Ballynatray House, Lismore Castle, Cappoquin House, and Salterbridge House. Inventor and entrepreneur James Dyson bought nearby Ballynatray House two years ago.
