New figures have revealed that Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan paid more than €51 million for Strancally Castle in Co Waterford.

The Meta CEO and co-founder purchased the historic property near Knockanore in August, with the sale understood to have been completed on August 17.

A new entry on the Residential Property Price Register shows the property sold for €51,171,155.

The figure is significantly higher than initial reports surrounding the purchase, which had suggested the castle could have sold for between €20 million and €30 million.

Following the purchase, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg said the family was looking forward to spending time in Ireland and continuing to care for the historic property.

Built in 1830, Strancally Castle was previously owned by Michael Allen Buckley, co-founder of London-based investment firm RAB Capital, and his wife Giancarla.

The couple purchased the property around 25 years ago and subsequently carried out extensive renovations.

Zuckerberg and his family are expected to use the Waterford property while spending time in Ireland, where Meta has its international headquarters.

In recent weeks, it was also revealed that Zuckerberg had donated €150,000 to three Waterford GAA clubs located close to the castle.

Shamrocks GAA in Knockanore, Tallow GAA and Lismore GAA are each set to receive €50,000, with the funding to be paid over two years.

Facebook established its international headquarters in Dublin in 2009. Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, employs around 1,500 people in Ireland.