Mark Zuckerberg ‘looking forward’ to spending time in Ireland after buying castle in Waterford

FACEBOOK BOSS MARK Zuckerberg is said to be “looking forward to spending time in Ireland” after purchasing a castle in Co Waterford.

Zuckerberg is the head and founder of Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Meta’s international headquarters are in Dublin and Facebook opened its international headquarters in Dublin in 2009.

Meta’s Ireland operations employ around 1,500 employees across three Irish locations.

It has offices in Dublin, a virtual reality and augmented reality business in Cork, and a data centre in Clonee, Co Meath.

It’s understood that Zuckerberg has had his eye on an Irish property for some time.

Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Zuckerberg had tried to buy the historic Castlemartin House and Estate in Co Kildare from fellow billionaire John Malone.

Zuckerberg, however, has been successful in purchasing Strancally Castle in Co Waterford, first reported by The Irish Times this morning.

A spokesperson for Zuckerberg told The Journal that “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”. 

Image of Strancally Castle undergoing renovation National Built Heritage Service

The estate was built in 1830 for John Keily, who was a Tory MP for Clonmel from 1819 to 1820.

It underwent extensive renovation in 2003.