In 1980, the Taoiseach of Ireland, Charles Haughey, and the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, held a summit in Dublin to discuss the situation in Northern Ireland. The summit, which was the first of a series of meetings, was a significant step towards the Anglo-Irish Agreement. The FitzGerald-Haughey summits demonstrated the growing importance of British-Irish cooperation in resolving the conflict.

The FitzGerald-Haughey summits are a subject of political poetry, with writers exploring the possibilities of dialogue and cooperation. The summits are often contrasted with the violence of the Troubles, creating a sense of hope. The poetry of the period reflects the cautious optimism of the peace process, a theme that would persist in the literature of the 1980s.