In 1870, the British Parliament, under Prime Minister William Gladstone, passed the first Land Act, which introduced limited reforms to the Irish land system. The act granted tenants compensation for improvements and for eviction, but it fell short of the demand for the 'Three F's.' The Land Act was a response to the growing agitation for land reform and marked the beginning of a series of land acts that would gradually transform the Irish land system.

Gladstone's Land Act is a subject of political poetry, with writers debating its merits and limitations. The act's failure to address the root causes of agrarian discontent is a theme in the poetry of the period, which often expressed frustration with the slow pace of reform. The land acts of the late 19th century are a recurring subject in Irish poetry, reflecting the centrality of the land question to Irish political and cultural identity.