Celtic Tiger roars into Hong Kong

FROM the Celtic Tiger to the Chinese Dragon, and Aer Rianta's impressive coup at Hong Kong airport

FROM the Celtic Tiger to the Chinese Dragon, and Aer Rianta's impressive coup at Hong Kong airport. It's the company's biggest ever overseas contract - in fact the largest of its kind ever awarded in the world - and comes just in time to put a smile back on its executives' faces, after missing out on an Australian job a few weeks ago.

Aer Rianta will sell alcohol and tobacco at the soon to be ex colony's giant new airport which will open next year with a turnover of at least £125 million.

But even more impressive is the nugget of news that The Irish Times correspondent, Conor O'Clery, uncovered about the people of Hong Kong; they consume more cognac per capita than any other in the world. Is that a gauntlet or what?