Mark Zuckerberg is buying an Irish castle

For almost two centuries the towers and parapets of Strancally Castle overlooked the bend of the Blackwater and a strip of Irish land as it passed from one wealthy family to another.

It now joins the estate of Mark Zuckerberg, one of the most prominent landowners of the 21st century, along with a place on an artificial island in Miami Beach, a large house in Washington, and campuses in California and Hawaii.

A spokesman for Mr. Zuckerberg, the 42-year-old billionaire chief executive of Meta, confirmed this week that he had bought the castle, a Gothic-style estate in County Waterford, a region of southeast Ireland with about 130,000 people. The castle was built around 1830 and renovated in the early 2000s.

The purchase does not appear to be listed in Irelandregistration of real estate prices. The Irish Times which reported reports Thursday estimated the property could be worth $23 million to $35 million.

Around the mid-1800s, the property was valued at £61, according to the register about the castle in the University of Galway estates archive, which also states that it contained an art collection and a library.

“Mark and his family look forward to caring for this historic home and visiting on trips to Ireland,” said Brian Baker, a spokesman for Mr. Zuckerberg.

The castle was built for former Member of Parliament John Keily by the Irish National Heritage Trust which describes building as both “muscular” and “bitter”.

The estate has never left private hands, so the public can only see its interior in the historical archives. An post about Mr. Keily “The History of Parliament” website states that the house was designed “on a grand scale; it was a brisk 4½ minutes’ walk from the kitchen to the dining room”.

The castle was last owned by Michael Alen-Buckley, chairman of investment company RAB Capital, and his wife Giancarla Alen-Buckley, a member of the family behind the luxury group Rocco Forte Hotels.

“We leave our home with love after twenty-five years and are grateful for the opportunity we have been given to save and restore Strancally Castle,” the couple said in a statement. “We are delighted that Mark and his family intend to build on our stewardship by continuing to invest in the maintenance and enhancement of the property and grounds as their home.”

It is unclear how much time Mr Zuckerberg or his family (he has three daughters with wife Priscilla Chan) will spend in Ireland, but his company has a significant presence there.

Like many large American companies, Meta uses an office in Dublin as its European headquarters and employs around 1,500 staff. Ireland has become a hub for multinational corporations, both for its relatively low corporate tax rate of 15 percent for large companies and its history of allowing corporations to shift profits out of the country to places like Bermuda, Grand Cayman and the Isle of Man.

Ireland’s status as a base for several tech giants has made it a key player in enforcing European Union regulations, and it has increasingly become the center of protest against the companies and their data centers.

Asked for comment on Mr Zuckerberg’s purchase, Waterford City and County Council praised the area’s attractions – wild coastlines and mountains, picturesque festivals and towns – and the county’s and city’s history.

“Founded by the Vikings in AD 914, Waterford is Ireland’s oldest town, shaped by centuries of history and today it is evident that the county’s remarkable architecture keeps its past alive,” the council said in an email.

“We hope that Mr. Zuckerberg and his family will fully enjoy all that Waterford has to offer.”