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?