In 1981, republican prisoners in the H-Blocks of the Maze Prison began a hunger strike, demanding political status. The hunger strike, which lasted until October, resulted in the deaths of ten prisoners, including Bobby Sands. The hunger strike was a major event in the Troubles, galvanizing republican support and leading to a shift in British policy.

The H-Block hunger strike is a subject of powerful republican poetry, with writers celebrating the sacrifice of the hunger strikers. The hunger strike is often contrasted with the earlier struggles for independence, creating a sense of continuity. The poetry of the period reflects the determination of the republican movement, a theme that would persist in the literature of the Troubles.