Irish billionaire adopts more than 40 abandoned horses

John Collison, the billionaire co-founder of Irish tech company Stripe, has adopted more than 40 abandoned horses in a bid to support an Irish animal rescue. 

The horses are now free to roam on Collison's sprawling 1,120-acre Abbeyleix estate in Co Laois, providing support to the My Lovely Horse animal rescue. 

Collison held two fundraising days for the animal charity last year and offered to house more than 40 horses, which are expensive to maintain and need plenty of space. 

Martina Kenny, who co-founded the charity alongside Irish singer Cathy Davey, praised Collison for his support of the charity, describing the Irish billionaire as "one in a million."

"He's so nice and so kind to do this. We're always under pressure, we've so many animals, so this was just great," Kenny told the Irish Mail on Sunday. 

My Lovely Horse Rescue cares for more than 800 animals on its 40-acre site in Co Offaly, including rabbits, pigs, horses, and donkeys.

Kenny and Davey established the charity in 2011 alongside Davey's partner Neil Hannon of the popular group the Divine Comedy. 

The charity is named after the famous Eurovision song in the Irish sitcom "Father Ted," which Hannon wrote alongside the series creators.

Collison, meanwhile, paid around €20 million for the sprawling Abbeyleix estate three years ago. 

The estate is home to one of Ireland's finest 18th-century mansions and features walled gardens, farmland, and a variety of specimen trees. 

The estate was owned by the de Vesci family for more than 300 years before it was sold to British businessman David Davies in 1995. 

The main house is one of the largest in Ireland, featuring nine bedrooms, ten bathrooms, 117 windows, and more than 27,000 square feet of interior space. 

The estate is also home to 10 estate houses and cottages.

Ahead of Christmas last year, Abbeyleix Estate hosted a one-day Christmas market with all proceeds going to St. Lazarians SVP Conference and My Lovely Horse Rescue.