On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom held a referendum on its membership in the European Union, with 51.9% of voters across the UK voting to leave. In Northern Ireland, however, a majority of voters (55.8%) voted to remain in the EU. The Brexit vote created significant constitutional and political challenges for Northern Ireland, as it raised the prospect of a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The Brexit referendum is a subject of political poetry, with writers exploring the implications of the vote for Northern Ireland. The referendum's divisions are often contrasted with the hopes of the peace process, creating a sense of uncertainty. The poetry of the period reflects the anxieties of the post-Brexit era, a theme that would persist in the literature of the late 2010s.