At least one person remains impressed by the aftermath of the Celtic Tiger.

Liam Neeson, absent from these shores since he filmed 'Michael Collins', says he can't believe how much Ireland has changed since his last visit.

Speaking on the red carpet at the Irish premiere of 'Five Minutes of Heaven' at Dublin's Savoy Cinema, Antrim's favourite son said he was astounded by developments north and south of the border.

"I haven't really been here since 'Michael Collins', and that's 14 years ago. Big changes. A lot of building," he said.

But his visit home was little more than a whistlestop tour as he had to board a 5am flight yesterday to jet back to Los Angeles to present an Oscar at last night's Academy Awards.

And despite his high profile as one of Hollywood's leading A-listers, the 56-year-old actor revealed that he never really felt he had "made it" in Hollywood until last week when his latest blockbuster, spy thriller 'Taken', took the top spot at the US box office, raking in $25m (&£8364;19.5).

"I had a moment when I thought, 'wow, I've made it'," he said before his appearance at the Jameson Dublin Film Festival on Saturday.

Meanwhile, his co-star James Nesbitt -- who grew up on the same street as Neeson's grandmother -- said Neeson was "fantastic" to work with.