A taste of the grape

IF THE TAKE-UP of wine courses is anything to go by, the Irish are fast becoming a nation of wine enthusiasts. The number of students on courses run by the Wine Development Board is rising every year, and in 1997 the board will run 36 different courses at five locations in Dublin and 11 regional centres.

Since this time last year, three new venues have been added in Dublin, while there are also new venues in Carlow, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, Kilkenny and Tralee, Co Kerry. The wine appreciation courses begin towards the end of January and information is available from the Wine Development Board (tel: (01) 280 4666; fax (01) 280 7566).

Also on offer in January is a course aimed at those interested in learning how to match food and wine. It will be given by chef and writer Sandy O'Byrne in conjunction with the WDB and it will consist of one two-hour lecture each week for six weeks. The next course begins on Saturday, January 25th, and will be held at the WDB's premises in Dun Laoghaire.

During the six weeks the whole world of wine will be covered, from light and fruity wines to the classics and sweet and sparkling varieties.

Booking is through the WDB.

It is not easy to find professional or postgraduate courses which begin after the traditional start of the academic year in September/October. But the Institute of Public Administration (tel: (01) 269 7011) has a January start date for a number of its courses which might suit those who were unable to commit themselves to a study programme earlier.

On offer from the IPA in January are two MA qualifications in public management and healthcare management respectively, while there is also the possibility of studying for graduate diplomas in public management, personnel management, recruitment and industrial relations.

The Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design is offering two part-time professional courses for designers, architects and engineers beginning in January. The first is devoted to training those involved in creative design and it will deal with topics such as desktop publishing, Quark Xpress and Adobe Illustrator. Page make-up for print and line illustration will also be covered; prospective students would need to be familiar with a Macintosh environment. Participation is limited to four places.

The second course is a foundation programme in AutoCAD and is a suitable introduction to the topic for architects, interior designers, engineers and those in building and manufacturing. In order to give everyone access to a PC the course is limited to eight participants.

For further information contact Noreen Daly, head of continuing education (tel: (01) 280 1138; fax (01) 280 3345).