On May 22, 1998, referendums were held in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland on the Good Friday Agreement. The agreement was approved by a large majority of voters in both jurisdictions, with 94% in the Republic and 71% in Northern Ireland voting in favor. The referendums were a crucial step in the implementation of the peace agreement.

The Good Friday Agreement referendums are a subject of celebratory poetry, with writers hailing the popular endorsement of peace. The referendums are often contrasted with the violence of the past, creating a sense of a new beginning. The poetry of the period reflects the hope and optimism of the peace process, a theme that would dominate the literature of the late 1990s.