Three Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in County Waterford are to receive a total of €150,000 (£129,000) from Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan. The donation will be split equally between Shamrocks GAA, Tallow GAA and Lismore GAA, with each club getting €50,000 (£43,000) paid over two years.

The clubs are the three closest to Strancally Castle, which Zuckerberg and Chan purchased in August. A spokesperson for the couple said they were aware of the significant role the GAA plays in local communities in Ireland and, as new members of the community, wanted to support the clubs.

Tallow GAA, founded in 1887, plans to invest first in underage teams before looking at adult teams and the coaching set-up. The club also plans to improve accessibility on its community walkway. Treasurer Kieran Geary said the club had initially reached out by email about potential sponsorship and later had a Zoom call with the couple's team. Geary said the couple's team were easy to deal with and the club hopes Zuckerberg and Chan will visit and be presented with jerseys.

Shamrocks GAA, operating since 1953 and drawing from the combined parishes of Knockanore, Glendine and Kilwatermoy, intends to upgrade facilities such as changing rooms and develop its underage section. Secretary Tim Lenehan said the club has just over 200 members and fundraising can be difficult because they are often asking the same people for support. He said the committee was made aware of the donation on Monday and news spread quickly in the community.

Lismore GAA, established in 1897, plans to use the funds for proposed floodlighting, new pitch-side fencing and a community walkway. Club secretary Emer Barry said she had known about the donation for about six weeks and described the reaction as shock and disbelief. Barry said she does not know if the couple will become regular visitors, but the club is open to new players because there is no parish rule in Waterford.

This is the couple's first Irish philanthropic donation since buying Strancally Castle.