With the new school term already up and running it won't be long now before enrolments begin for evening classes. The choice of courses has never been wider and all sorts of hobby, leisure and professional qualifications are on offer.

Course providers normally circulate those living in their catchment areas, but if you want a one-stop shop for course listings and you live in the greater Dublin area then there are two invaluable guides available which detail hundreds of courses, their location, duration and cost.

Both guides cost £2.99 and are published by Oisin Publications and the Wolfhound press respectively. Both are comprehensive and cover daytime, evening, distance learning and correspondence courses. They are available in bookshops and newsagents.

The Cork-based Collins Press also produces a guide to evening classes in Cork city and county. It costs £3.99 and is available now. It too gives a comprehensive listing of the hobby, leisure and professional courses available in the region and covers everything from the European computer driving licence to tap dancing, learning Russian and developing an appreciation of wine.