In 1925, the Irish Free State government began construction of the Shannon hydroelectric scheme, a major infrastructure project at Ardnacrusha on the River Shannon. The scheme, which was completed in 1929, was one of the largest hydroelectric projects in the world at the time and provided electricity to much of the country. The Shannon scheme was a symbol of the new state's ambition and its commitment to modernizing the Irish economy.

The Shannon hydroelectric scheme is a subject of modernist poetry, with writers celebrating the project as a symbol of progress and national renewal. The scheme's construction is often contrasted with the rural poverty of the past, suggesting a new era in Irish history. The poetry of the period reflects the optimism of the new state, a theme that would persist in the literature of the early Free State.