On December 29, 1937, the new Irish Constitution (Bunreacht na hÉireann) came into effect, establishing Ireland as a sovereign, independent state under the name 'Éire' (or 'Ireland'). The constitution declared the national territory as the entire island of Ireland, though it recognized the reality of partition. The constitution marked Ireland's final break with the British Empire, though it maintained a special relationship with the Commonwealth.

The 1937 Constitution was a landmark for Irish poets, who saw it as the realization of the cultural and political aspirations articulated in the poetry of the Celtic Revival. Writers like W.B. Yeats, who had served as a senator, viewed the constitution as a symbol of Ireland's mature nationhood. The constitution's Irish-language preamble and its emphasis on Gaelic culture reinforced the poetic vision of an authentically Irish state.