Voices of the Sea, a performance event coordinated by Maine Maritime Museum that showcases the talents of Maine poets and musicians who earn their living from the sea, casts a wider net this year with performances on two consecutive nights on the waterfronts of two different cities.

On Friday, March 14, the program will be held at Maine Maritime Museum, located at 243 Washington Street in Bath, to kick off the city’s Blarney Days, a celebration of all things Irish. Fittingly, Maine’s storyteller John McDonald emcees the evening, which will include offerings by poets Sally Woolf-Wade and Stefanie Alley and musicians Bob Bowman and Lauren Crosby. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., performances begin at 7, and a cash bar will be available until 8:30 p.m..

The Bath show will help launch Bath Blarney Days, a four-day celebration of Irish culture, a nation recognized for its poetic and musical artistry, as well as its maritime heritage. Voices of the Sea will be held in the museum’s Long Reach Hall which overlooks the historic Kennebec River where thousands of Maine built ships set sail for voyages to all corners of the world.

The following evening, Saturday, March 15, a second performance in Portland occurs during the Maine Boatbuilders Show weekend in GMRI’s Cohen Center auditorium surrounded by Portland’s fleet of working fishing boats. It takes place on the Portland waterfront at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) located at 350 Commercial Street. Here, Maine folk musician Gordon Bok emcees the program, which includes the talents of poets Alley, Woolf-Wade and Jack Merrill, and musicians Bob Bowman and Frank Gotwals. Doors open at 6 p.m., with a reception and cash bar until 7 p.m. when the show begins.

To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.mainemaritimemuseum.org or call 207-443-1316, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Support for the 3rd annual Voices of the Sea series comes from the Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance, Maine Boatbuilders Show, Maine Coastal News, The Hampton Inn Bath and The INN at Brunswick Station.