Estate of late Ryanair cofounder Tony Ryan will be auctioned on October 28th if it doesn’t sell on open marketThu Aug 13 2026 - 14:39 • 2 MIN READThe family of the late Irish businessman and Ryanair cofounder Tony Ryan has placed their 951-acre Kentucky equestrian estate on the market, seeking €49.9 million ($57.5 million).The centuries-old holding in Lexington will be placed for auction on October 28th if it doesn’t sell on the open market in the meantime. It will be listed at the Keeneland Championship Sale, an invitation-only horse auction.The sale strategy was initiated by Ryan’s son, Shane Ryan, who has owned the property since his father’s death in 2007, Bluegrass Sotheby’s International Realty selling agent Ken Donworth, originally from Limerick, told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The late Tony Ryan, from Thurles, Co Tipperary, paid $14 million for the farm in 2001, Donworth said, and his son has been operating the property since then as a horse-breeding farm.The Ryan family's Kentucky estate, Castleton. Photograph: Bluegrass Sotheby's International Realty The Ryan family's Kentucky estate, Castleton. Photograph: Bluegrass Sotheby's International Realty The Ryan family's Kentucky estate, Castleton. Photograph: Bluegrass Sotheby's International Realty Dating to 1793, the Castleton estate comprises 10 homes, 16 barns and 268 stables. The seven-bedroom main residence, extending to 1,254sq m (13,500sq ft), is a Greek Revival-style mansion, built circa-1840. Shane Ryan decided to sell the estate because he is spending more time in Europe and his children are not as interested in horses, Dunworth said.“We have been the sixth stewards of this historic farm,” Shane Ryan said in a statement to WSJ. “So there has to be a magnificent seventh out there.”At the time of his death in 2007, Tony Ryan was ranked the seventh richest Irish person, with the family estimated to be worth up to €1.5 billion.He began his career working for Aer Lingus and went on to create two aviation-related businesses – GPA and Ryanair – that were world leaders in their industries.He also owned a vineyard in France, had bloodstock interests in Ireland and the US, amassed a portfolio of overseas properties and built an impressive collection of art and antiques.The Ryan family's Kentucky estate, Castleton. Photograph: Bluegrass Sotheby's International Realty The Ryan family's Kentucky estate, Castleton. Photograph: Bluegrass Sotheby's International Realty The Ryan family's Kentucky estate, Castleton. Photograph: Bluegrass Sotheby's International Realty The Ryan family's Kentucky estate, Castleton. Photograph: Bluegrass Sotheby's International Realty IN THIS SECTION