In 1893, the Second Home Rule Bill, introduced by Gladstone, passed the House of Commons but was overwhelmingly defeated in the House of Lords. The bill's failure, despite popular support in Ireland, highlighted the power of the hereditary peerage to block Irish self-government. The defeat deepened Irish frustration with constitutional politics and strengthened the appeal of more radical nationalist movements.

The defeat of the Second Home Rule Bill was another bitter pill for Irish nationalists, and the poetry of the period reflected a growing disillusionment with parliamentary politics. Writers like W.B. Yeats, who had supported the bill, began to turn towards cultural nationalism as a more authentic expression of Irish identity. The bill's failure is echoed in the poetry of the fin-de-siècle, which often conveyed a sense of betrayal and a search for a new cultural dawn.