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Sinead Morrissey at the Durham Book Festival in 2015

Sinéad Morrissey is a poet from Northern Ireland. She was born on the 24th of April 1972 in Portadown, County Armagh.

Life

Sinéad Morrissey was brought up in Belfast. She attended Trinity College Dublin, where she studied English and German, earning both her BA and PHD. Morrissey is a well-travelled individual. After residing in both Japan and New Zealand, she returned to Belfast in 1999. Her poetry collection Between Here and There (2001) was inspired by her experiences with the Japanese culture as well as the insights she gained from travelling abroad and being far from familiarity. Morrissey opens the collection with two poems as she recalls Belfast with mixed emotions. The first part of “In Belfast” paints a picture of the city, with the second part focusing on the speaker. The poem evokes a sorrowful tone as personal losses are linked with the city. Morrissey began writing at an early age. In fact, she is the youngest winner of the Patrick Kavanagh Award, which she won at 18 years old. She published her first poetry collection There was fire in Vancouver in 1996 at the age of 24. The collection explores themes of travel, personal discovery and a search for meaning as Morrissey reflects on her own life experiences of living abroad. She uses her poetic voice to showcase her appreciation for landscapes and different cultures through vivid imagery and poetic techniques.

Today, Sinéad Morrissey lives in Newcastle, England, where she was appointed Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Newcastle in 2016.

Work

Altogether, Morrissey has produced six collections of poetry, each reflecting her interchanging poetic style. Her work is renowned for its rich imagery through which she explores themes of history and identity. Her poetry often draws from her own life experiences. Morrissey’s debut collection There Was Fire in Vancouver (1996) showcases her appreciation for places. Morrissey’s following poetry collection was inspired by her time spent in Japan. Between Here and There (2001) captures the tension and feelings evoked when placed in new environments. The State of Prisons (2005) differs from Morrissey’s prior collections due to its historical and political themes. The collection delves into the struggles experienced in response to power and human suffering. The collection embodies moral and societal themes. Morrissey’s fourth collection, Through the Square Window (2009) differs, yet again, from prior collections by exploring themes of motherhood and morality. The title poem won the poet the National Poetry Competition in 2007. Parallax is widely considered one of Sinéad Morrissey’s most successful collections. Winning the T.S Eliot Prize,  one of the highest honours in English poetry, it was praised for its exploration of history and memory. However, Morrissey's subsequent collection On Balance (2017), also achieved significant praise, winning the Forward Prize for Best Collection. Although both collections are widely acclaimed, Parallax is notable for securing the poet international recognition.

Awards

• 1990: Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award (youngest winner at 18 years old)
• 2005: Michael Hartnett Poetry Prize for The State of the Prisons
• 2007: National Poetry Competition winner for Through the Square Window
• 2010: Poetry Now Award for Through the Square Window
• 2014: T.S. Eliot Prize for Parallax
• 2017: Forward Prize for Best Collection for On Balance

Bibliography

• There Was Fire in Vancouver (Carcanet Press, 1996)
• Between Here and There (Carcanet Press, 2001)
• The State of the Prisons (Carcanet Press, 2005)
• Through the Square Window (Carcanet Press, 2009)
• Parallax: And Selected Poems (Carcanet Press, 2013)
• On Balance (Carcanet Press, 2017)

Pamphlets and Limited Editions

• The Italian Chapel - (Metal engravings by Maribel Mas. Published by Andrew J Moorhouse, Fine Press Poetry, 2019)

See also

• List of Northern Irish writers

External links

• Meade, Declan (Winter 2002–2003). "Sinéad Morrissey in interview with Declan Meade". The Stinging Fly. 1 (14). Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
• Dr Sinead Morrissey profile at Newcastle University Staff Profile | English Literature, Language and Linguistics | Newcastle University. (2021). Ncl.ac.uk.
• Profile on ContemporaryWriters.com Sinead Morrissey. (2024). Archive.org.
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/44646154 Angelis, D. (2005). Sinéad Morrissey: between Northern Ireland and Japan. Journal of Irish Studies, 20, 45–51. JSTOR.
• https://www.poetryinternational.com/en/poets-poems/poets/poet/102-7518_Morrissey Sinéad Morrissey. (2024). Poetryinternational.com.
• https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections Poetry Foundation. (2017). Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation.
• https://poetryarchive.org/poet/sinad-morrissey/ Sinead Morrissey - Poetry Archive. (2020, April 22). Poetry Archive.  
• https://www.ncl.ac.uk/elll/people/profile/sineadmorrissey.html Staff Profile | English Literature, Language and Linguistics | Newcastle University. (2021). Ncl.ac.uk.
• https://www.open.edu/openlearn/openlearn-ireland/ireland---literature/irish-womens-poetry-sinead-morrissey Irish Women’s Poetry: Sinéad Morrissey. (2024). Open Learning.
• https://www.brinkerhoffpoetry.org/poets/sinead-morrissey Sinéad Morrissey. (2017). Brinkerhoffpoetry.org.  
• https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/06/parallax-sinead-morrissey-review Parallax by Sinéad Morrissey – review. (2013, September 6). The Guardian.