AMC Blog - Lycée Mona Ozouf de Ploërmel

Since the XIXth century, with the Great Famine and its impact on Ireland, the country has faced several economic issues since then. Nowadays, American billionaires, like Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, have been buying castles in Ireland. We could therefore wonder to what extent does American billionaires buying Irish castles remind us centuries of colonization and impact the economy of the country nowadays. First, we will study the importance of castles in Ireland ; then, we will ask ourselves why do US billionaires buy Irish castles, before analyzing the consequences of it on the country’s economy. We will use articles from BBC News Northern Ireland, siliconrepublic.com and The Dial ; and an editorial cartoon from The Irish Examiner.

First of all, castles are a very important part of Ireland’s history. Recently, Mark Zuckerberg bought one of them ; but he is not the first billionaire to purchase a property like this. In fact, several rich people already did this : « the likes of Jeremy Irons, Christy Cashman, and the billionaire John Malone ». Moreover, castles are for Ireland a symbol of colonization by Normans but then have gradually become a sign of wealth and power. In Document A, the doctor Colin Breen also said that « castles are important in how people in Ireland remember the past ». So castles in Ireland are not only huge and breathtaking landmarks, they are also a testimony of Ireland’s history and culture.

Besides, if rich people are buying castles, it’s not just for their presence, it’s also for the power they confer. Indeed, billionaires like to show how powerful they are and particularly to their rivals. The Document A say the rich wanted to « show of their prestige, their standing, and their status ». Therefore castles are bought to testify how much money they have. Even through it’s a part of their decision, the big one is also that recently, Meta opened a new international headquarter in Dublin. The Document B report Anne O’Leary’s words, the manager of the new campus in Dublin, who think it’s « the start of a new phase for Meta in Ireland ». We could conclue that castles are a way to control a little part of each country they are settling their new buildings. What’s more, the Document C informs us that setting up in Ireland permit an access to the EU market, a low corporate tax rate, an educated workforce and an English-speaking nation, thus it’s a strategic place.

Lastly, companies like Meta or Apple have a huge power and impact on the Irish economy. Like the Document C explains us, « tech companies have become such a central part of Irish economy ». That is why Irish economy became dependent of companies like this, because of the money they bring to the country. That is the reason why people like Mark Zuckerberg are holding so much power : « they are in a position to dictate terms ». It’s illustrated by the Document D : we an see the CEO of Meta talking to two men looking like government members, asking to them if there are servants offered with the castle. It shows how much power they have and how the government want them to stay.

To conclude, we can say that when billionaire’s buy castles, they not only own the property, they now own the power and influence they give to them.