Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg ‘wanted to buy’ famous Kildare estate

A billionaire businessman has revealed that Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg expressed interest in a famous County Kildare estate — one which he owns.

John C Malone, the former CEO of the now-defunct cable giant Tele-Communications Inc, recently told the Wall Street Journal that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had some positive things to say about his Castlemartin Estate, which is located near Kilcullen.

Mr Malone, who also reportedly owns 2.2 acres of land in his native US alone, explained: "He [Zuckerberg] said he’d heard it was one of the most beautiful places in Ireland."

He added: "I said: 'Yeah, probably, but it ain’t for sale.'"

READ NEXT: Kildare nursing home receives glowing HIQA report

As noted by KFM, Mr Malone previously bought the estate, which was constructed in the 18th century, from Tony O’Reilly in 2014. 

Mr Malone purchased the land for around €28 million. 

The premises was previously rented by legendary rock band The Rolling Stones and was even once visited by the late politician and activist Nelson Mandela.

In related news, the publication Datacenter Dynamics reported that another company primarily owned by John Malone, Liberty Media, last week offered voluntary redundancy to hundreds of its employees. The move was made as part of restructuring efforts.

And in the context of Kildare, Fianna Fáil TD James Lawless previously met with Mr Zuckerberg in 2019 during a political delegation.

The implications of social media and fake news were reportedly raised at this meeting.

READ NEXT: Kildare County Council announces the first-ever Athy Youth Pride Event