Mark Zuckerberg Buys a Castle in Ireland

Facebook founder and fifth-richest human Mark Zuckerberg has had a busy few years in real estate, but his latest purchase stands out from the rest: It’s a castle. The Meta CEO, who has perhaps taken the “broligarchy” branding a bit literally, is the new owner of Strancally Castle, a 16,000-square-foot Gothic Revival residence in County Waterford, Ireland.The price that Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, paid for the three-story castle has not yet been disclosed. The Irish Times, which first reported the news, estimates that it sold for between €20 million and €30 million, or about $23 million to $35 million USD. “Mark and his family are excited to continue caring for this historic home and look forward to spending time in Ireland, where Meta maintains its international headquarters,” a spokesperson for Zuckerberg said in a statement shared by the outlet.The drawbacks: increased surveillance and construction racket, per his neighbors. One perk: free noise-canceling headphonesLocated on 440 acres along the River Blackwater, Strancally Castle was completed by architects James and George Richard Pain around 1830 for John Keily, a former member of the parliament. A little under three miles away, the ruins of the original Strancally Castle date back much further, to the 12th century. Some dark lore surrounds the old Strancally Castle; it reportedly featured a murderous trap door that dropped down into a watery grave. “The atrocious cruelties committed in this castle called down the particular vengeance of Elizabeth’s government, by whose orders it was blown up,” reads a passage in the 19th-century book Researches in the South of Ireland.Join NowAD PRO members enjoy exclusive benefits. Get a year of unlimited access for $25 $20 per month.ArrowThe latest iteration, however, has been thoroughly revamped and restored. Among the amenities added to the estate is an indoor swimming pool. As reported by The Irish Times, a 1975 book called The Houses of Ireland describes the present-day castle’s sprawl: “It took a brisk walk of four-and-a-half minutes to reach the dining room from the kitchen.”Earlier this year, Zuckerberg bought a $170 million Miami home, and last year he spent $23 million on a Washington, D.C. base and added 1,000 acres to his compound in Kauai.