In October 2006, the British and Irish governments and Northern Ireland's political parties signed the St Andrews Agreement, which set out a roadmap for restoring devolved government. The agreement required the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to share power with Sinn Féin and established a timetable for the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The agreement was a crucial step in consolidating the peace process after the collapse of the executive in 2002.

The St Andrews Agreement was a subject of poetic reflection, with writers exploring the complexities of political compromise and the hope for a stable peace. Poets like Michael Longley engaged with the themes of reconciliation and forgiveness, using their work to comment on the political process. The agreement's significance is reflected in the poetry of the period, which sought to articulate the fragile promise of a shared future.