In December 1973, the British and Irish governments, along with Northern Ireland political parties, signed the Sunningdale Agreement, proposing a power-sharing executive and a Council of Ireland. The agreement was a major attempt to resolve the conflict, but it was brought down by a general strike organized by loyalist paramilitaries in May 1974. The collapse of Sunningdale was a major setback for the peace process.

The Sunningdale Agreement and its failure were subjects of poetic commentary, with writers reflecting on the fragility of peace and the intransigence of sectarian divisions. Poets like John Hewitt and others engaged with the complexities of power-sharing, using their work to imagine alternative futures for Northern Ireland. The agreement's collapse is a recurring theme in the poetry of the 1970s, embodying the frustration of the peace process.