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Anna Healy Fenton

Hong Kong was not on his map but this accidental expatriate has put Delaney's in the pub loop - and he has pulled pints

Noel Smyth is one of very few people who can say they regularly drive a tractor in Hong Kong. The managing director of pub operator Delaney's Development can often be seen steering around the site at King's Park in Ho Man Tin, where the company runs a sports facility for the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union.

Like many an expatriate, his arrival in 1995 from Dublin was not part of a structured career plan. He was serving customers in a Dublin pub when he was asked if he would be interested in working in Hong Kong.

'Yes, I've always wanted to go to Japan!' he replied, adding that Hong Kong did not feature in his geography lessons at school.

Mr Smyth, 32, came out as head bartender of Delaney's Irish pub in Wan Chai. It was very much a start-up, having just been set up by founders Sam Roch-Perks and David Cowen.

'Basically they were two Irish lads who didn't have an Irish bar to drink in. They knew nothing about setting up a pub and the legal issues and so hired a management company,'  Mr Smyth explains.

There was no special meaning to the name Delaney's. 'There was no such person as Mrs Delaney either. She wasn't a neighbour or a girlfriend. There was no particular reason - we just wanted it to have its own identity,'  says Mr Smyth.

Start-up capital came from expatriate friends and acquaintances who were willing to invest. They launched a green card membership scheme for investors who got discounts and privileges and their money back with interest.

The Irish Pub Company built the Delaney's interior in Ireland and shipped it to Hong Kong and the first Delaney's opened in Wan Chai in 1994 after much wrangling with licences. Issues with Guinness followed because the Malaysian brew was all that was available on draught in Hong Kong.

'It was sweet and yucky. I was embarrassed on Paddy's Day - I'd have to force it down myself, to be honest,' says Mr Smyth.

Delaney's wanted draught Guinness direct from Dublin but all they could get was the bottled brew, airfreighted from Ireland, which ran out every night. 'I have no problem telling you we were annoying customers for nine years with the Malaysian stuff - it's brewed to a different taste bud,' says Mr Smyth.

He describes meetings and discussions about how much Guinness sales were being lost by Delaney's selling an inferior product.

Eventually the brewer shipped in supplies in refrigerated containers straight from the St James' Gate brewery in Dublin to Wan Chai.

But this was only after lengthy trials. The chief taster tested a keg in Dublin and freighted it out to Hong Kong. A pint was pulled in Delaney's before the same keg was shipped back to Dublin and tested again.

Guinness was satisfied and nine months ago Delaney's got real Irish Guinness from Dublin.

Delaney's is not patronised by homesick Irishmen and plastic Paddies. Thirty per cent of its business  is from Chinese customers. With outlets on both sides of the harbour and annual turnover of  $50 million, the company now employs upwards of 100 staff.

In 1998, needing a new outlet for Soho, the Dublin Jack was created. While Delaney's was dark wood, the idea for  Dublin Jack was a standing bar with light wood fittings.

'At least no shillelaghs or leprechauns hanging off the walls,' says Mr Smyth.

The pub was an immediate success  and achieved payback in  12 months. 'We were one of the reasons Soho developed,' he says.

On August 1, 2004,  Dublin Jack made headlines by introducing a no-smoking policy. Smoking made a difference to the business but it has been difficult to judge the top and bottom line, explains Mr Smyth. 'It's hard to evaluate the impact in Hong Kong. We did it here because you can walk out and smoke under the Mid-Levels escalator canopy.'

More women and families now come to the pub. 'Lots of regulars said they'd go but stayed and lots have now given up smoking, so it's hard to gauge figures.'

After forays into Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, Delaney's has decided on a strategic move into Dubai. It is a joint venture with a local partner, targeted at the 120,000 British expatriates in Dubai. Delaney's sees it as a turnkey operation: they build it, staff it,  work the system and hand it over.

Irish bars are ubiquitous in Asia, with most big cities boasting at least two. How has Delaney's survived the rapid turnover of Hong Kong bars, where a two-year lifespan is typical?

'In Hong Kong there's room for good operators but there are lots of fly-by-nights,' says Mr Smyth.

'Lots of people here want to own a bar, but have no realistic idea of what's involved. Unlike the Irish - at some point we've all pulled pints.'



Smyth shows pluck of the Irish