American billionaire Mark Zuckerberg paid €51 million for Ireland’s priciest home of 2026, a Waterford castle

Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan paid €51,171,155 ($57 million) for Strancally Castle in County Waterford, Ireland’s Residential Property Price Register shows, nearly double the price first reported and the highest paid for a single residential property in the country this year.

The register lists the sale as completed on Aug. 17. Property sources had put the price at €20 million to €30 million when the purchase first emerged in August, RTÉ and The Journal reported. A spokesperson for Zuckerberg said at the time that the family was looking forward to spending time in Ireland and continuing to care for the historic property.

Reports differ on exactly what the figure covers. Several outlets describe it as the price of the castle and its 440-acre (178-hectare) estate. One outlet, citing The Irish Times, reported that the register entry covers the main house and up to an acre of land, which would mean the total outlay for the full estate is higher. The register does not itemize the sale.

Strancally Castle stands above the River Blackwater near Knockanore, about 30 minutes’ drive from Youghal in County Cork. The three-storey Gothic-style house, about 16,000 square feet, was built around 1830 for John Keily, a former Tory member of parliament. The architects James and George Richard Pain, who also designed Dromoland Castle and Blackrock Castle in Cork, drew up the plans.

The sellers were Michael Alen-Buckley, co-founder of the London investment firm RAB Capital, and his wife Giancarla, a daughter of the late Charles Forte and sister of hotelier Rocco Forte. They bought the property 25 years ago and restored it. “We leave our home of 25 years fondly,” they said in a statement to The Irish Times, adding that they were pleased the new owners “intend to build on our stewardship.”

The couple are expected to remain based in the United States. The Irish Examiner reported that the castle will serve as a base when Zuckerberg is in Ireland for work, because the country hosts the European headquarters of Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram. The register entry and the reports describe Zuckerberg and Chan as the buyers, not Meta.

They have already started giving locally. Last month they announced €150,000 for three Gaelic Athletic Association clubs near the castle, €50,000 each to Shamrocks in Knockanore, Tallow and Lismore.

The price barely registers against his wealth. Forbes estimates Zuckerberg’s fortune at about $248.7 billion, which makes the castle roughly 0.02% of it. His net worth has been volatile. In the last week of September he lost nearly $20 billion in two trading sessions as Meta shares fell after a Goldman Sachs warning about the cost of AI spending, with Meta guiding to as much as $145 billion in capital spending this year.