The First Desmond Rebellion (1569–1573) broke out in Munster when James FitzMaurice FitzGerald, a cousin of the Earl of Desmond, led a revolt against the English Crown. The rebellion was sparked by the imposition of English law and the establishment of plantations, and it was supported by the Gaelic lords of the region. Although the rebellion was suppressed, it exposed the deep-seated resistance to English rule in Munster and set the stage for a more devastating second rebellion.

The Desmond Rebellions are memorialized in Irish poetry as heroic but doomed efforts to resist English encroachment. The bards of Munster composed laments for the fallen leaders and elegies for the destruction of the Gaelic order. The rebellions' aftermath, including the Munster Plantation, inspired a genre of poetry that mourned the loss of land and liberty, themes that would resonate in the work of later nationalist poets.