In April and May 1941, German Luftwaffe bombs fell on Belfast, killing over 1,000 people and destroying large parts of the city. The Belfast Blitz, which was one of the deadliest air raids on the United Kingdom during World War II, was a traumatic event for the city. The bombing exposed the vulnerability of Northern Ireland to German attack and led to a significant shift in public opinion towards the war.

The Belfast Blitz is a subject of wartime poetry, with writers exploring the impact of the bombing on the city and its people. The event is often contrasted with the political divisions of Northern Ireland, creating a sense of shared experience. The poetry of the period reflects the trauma of the Blitz, a theme that would persist in the literature of post-war Northern Ireland.