John Leslie | Ozzy Osbourne | Ireland | the Beatles

This 1,000-acre estate has been in the Leslie family since 1665. The current castle was erected in 1878, with 100 rooms, and its guest list has included prominent politicians and diplomats, poets and royalty, and members of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Despite modern amenities like a four-star hunting lodge, a cooking school, a state-of-the-art equestrian center, and an award-winning restaurant, the property retains the family's peculiar personality. Each of the 14 castle bedrooms is an eclectic mishmash of Victorian furnishings and unusual plumbing. The restaurant's wine list is actually organized under categories like Homer Simpson and Ozzy Osbourne.

Although his niece Samantha now manages the day-to-day operations, Sir John Leslie still lives at the castle and conducts tours twice a week. During most of World War II, he was a prisoner of war in Germany; he then lived in an Italian monastery without electricity for 35 years. Despite his nonagenarian status, he enjoys hitting local discotheques on the weekends. He also has a rotating mirror ball in his bathroom and - I'm not making this up - before retiring for bed each night, he rings a loud gong in the castle. In comparison with the rest of his family, though, he's actually kind of normal.

In recent years the Irish quirkiness that once was embodied so strongly in the national DNA has unfortunately been diminishing in supply. Thanks to globalization, Ireland's quaint traditions have become increasingly overshadowed by the Celtic Tiger economy. Beginning in the 1990s, unemployment and debt plunged, and consumer spending soared off the charts. Ireland went from being one of Europe's poorest countries to being one of its richest. Dublin now bristles with high-end retail stores, and roads are filled with gleaming Mercedeses and Peugeots.