FOR those of you who think that once St. Patrick’s Day passes the interest in Irish culture abates, the next couple of weeks should put those thoughts out of mind.

There are an extraordinary number of events going on around the Big Apple this week and next and that doesn’t even take in the 150 or so academic papers that will be offered at the American Conference of Irish Studies that is being hosted at CUNY Graduate Center from Thursday to Saturday.

Glucksman Ireland House (www.irelandhouse.fas.nyu.edu) in Greenwich Village has plenty going on, but within the scope of the traditional arts you will find the following of interest. There is currently an obsession with Irish tenors on the airwaves, but John McCormack will always be the model upon which the others are based. Veteran journalist Gordon Ledbetter has written a biography on him and he visits on Thursday, April 19 to lecture at 7 p.m. on his fascinating career.

Following on Friday night, April 20 at 9 p.m. the Blarney Star Concert Series welcomes concertina players, Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin and Tim Collins, two academics delivering papers during the conference who will let their squeezeboxes do the talking in concert.

Not surprisingly given their instruments, Co. Clare is a tie that binds them as well since Gearoid is a native of the Banner County’s capital, Ennis, while Tim makes his home in Clare, though a native of West Limerick.

For the Gaelgoeiri among you, the second annual Barra ODonnabhain symposium 2007 will offer a day long panel of discussions on “Teaching and Learning the Irish Language in the United States: Practice, Prospects, Perspectives” on Saturday, April 28 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Named for the fervent Cork writer whose weekly columns in the Irish Echo helped revitalize an interest in the Irish language in America, ODonnabhain passed away all too soon in July of 2003. The event celebrates the vitality of the mother tongue here and abroad.

The program will be given in Irish so you will need that facility to comprehend the day’s proceedings, though the last hour from 4-5 p.m. features a performance of Irish language songs led by Padraig O Cearuill, NYU’s resident Gaelgoier which will be entertain-ing in any language. For more information contact 212-998-3950 or ireland.house@nyu.edu.