WHAT WILL MARK Zuckerberg get up to in Waterford?

The tech mogul will be surrounded by thick forests and splendid scenery along the River Blackwater after he takes up residence with his wife Priscilla Chan and their children following the purchase of Strancally Castle.

The nearby village of Knockanure lacks a shop or post office, but it does have a brand-new playground, which locals report that Zuckerberg’s fellow moneybags James Dyson - of the famous British hoover brand – contributed a five-figure sum towards after buying the nearby Ballinatray House.

If Meta founder Zuckerberg wants to get a shop in, he could try the SuperValu in Cappoquin or go one town over to Lismore where he can also see the Duke of Devonshire’s own castle.

And if he wants a more adventurous activity, he can always kayak along the Blackwater – or pop across the river bank and join a game of road bowls in Aglish.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, right, speaks next to his wife, Priscilla Chan during an event last year Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“Nobody can know yet,” one man told us in Knockanure when asked about what the billionaire’s arrival to Waterford may mean for the area, before he added with a laugh:

“Look, any fella with money coming to the area can’t be bad, can he?”

It gets at the unease some are feeling around the announcement, first reported in the Irish Times, has bought the 440-acre Strancally Castle.

Built originally around 1830 for former Tory MP called John Keily, Strancally Castle was most recently home to former investment firm chief Michael Alen-Buckley and his wife Giancarla Alen-Buckley.

It’s a secluded spot, with little chance of being able to see the castle from the road or most vantage points, as we discovered when visiting.

A view of the castle grounds entrance. The Journal The Journal

Zuckerberg is of course one of the best-known businessmen on the planet, but with increasing notoriety. On Tuesday, a California trial opened into whether  Meta deliberately made Instagram and Facebook addictive to young users. 

The company denies the charges, but experts view it as social media’s “big tobacco moment,” and Co Waterford’s newest resident is due to appear as a star witness.

Old castles from recent centuries line the river in this part of the country.

This also means upkeep can become a problem over time, with the vast properties facing falling to wrack and ruin if not sold to a new owner.

Local Fine Gael councillor Niamh O’Donovan said it was to be welcomed that Zuckerberg was coming to Waterford, “as the castle is not something the state could take on so this will allow it to stay going and be of use”. 

Elsewhere in Waterford and neighbouring parts, wealthy and powerful figures have snapped up old properties, including the aforementioned Dyson. He acquired Ballinatray for about €29 million in 2024.

‘Extra work for people’

In Knockanore, Shane Barry ran through the pros and cons of having these new billionaires arriving on the doorstep as he took a break from maintenance work at the local primary school in Knockanure when The Journal visited on Thursday. 

“Nobody really knows for certain what’s going to happen or why all these fellas are coming here,” he said.

Barry said he had seen commentary on Zuckerberg’s Facebook site on Thursday morning questioning whether “it’s a coincidence that solar farms, wind turbines and data centres were being proposed across the county”, and if the new manor house owners are “going to be tapping into that power source”.

“The other side of the coin is that it has meant extra work for people,” Barry added.

He and others pointed to major renovations carried out on the likes of Dyson’s Ballinatray House, which saw work crews use hardware shops in the likes of Youghal for materials and be fed by an eatery in nearby Tallow that secured the catering contract.

Ballinatray House Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

This is part of the argument from Waterford’s business community that welcomes the recent arrivals of industry figures, who also face criticism in some quarters for their ties to the likes of the Trump administration. 

Dymphna Power, a journalist with local radio station WLR, summed up this approach, saying west Waterford has become a “haven for millionaires” after marketing itself as “Ireland’s Rhine Valley”. 

Power told RTÉ’s News at One that many locally also view the recent movement of the rich as making the wider county “a hot bed for potential”, while noting that the likes of Dyson have opened up their country house to local groups. 

Strancally Castle picture during previous renovations National Built Heritage Service National Built Heritage Service

One local told us that the way many of the old country manor houses operated over the centuries was that the vast majority of local people “would be kept well outside the gates”.  

This means an overly sentimental view for Strancally Castle wasn’t found during The Journal’s visit.

Local Sinn Féin councillor Donnchadh Mulcahy said he has found that there isn’t that “much of a connection with the place,”, but said that as long as the new castle owner respects public access on long-used parts of the land, he expected decent relations.

Overall, Mulcahy said that “can’t see much changing in the community” despite Thursday’s announcement. “People are generally on the fence, so while it’s exciting news we don’t know what’s to come next,” he said.

Or, as another local man put it: “Look, once he minds his business we’ll be okay. And maybe consider throwing us a few quid for some work we’re trying to get going here, that would be something.”

So while this unloved castle is going to be occupied by the unloved Zuckerberg, plenty feel it could yet work out as an acceptable match.