There Was Fire in Vancouver is Sinead Morrissey's first book of poems. Organised as a journey from communism to spiritual affirmation, from life in Ireland to life abroad, and return, from security and dependence on family in particular, to independence and security in the self, it memorably evokes what it is to grow up. Poems of childhood and communist upbringing are followed by poems about death, love, its loss; and several deal with angels and the implications of religious faith. Affected by the poets of Northern Ireland, Sinead acknowledges a particular debt to the Welsh poet R.S. Thomas, remarking on his 'absolute clarity of language and the directness of a vision which is both beautiful and terrifying.' She adds, 'Thomas inspires me because he is absolutely faithful to his own poetic concerns, regardless of a predominantly atheistic environment and changing literary fashions. He teaches that half the battle is knowing what not to listen to.' Sinead Morrissey's poems seldom fall short of the ideals she sets herself.