The Fatima Mansions were a rock group formed in 1988 by Cork singer/keyboardist Cathal Coughlan, formerly of Microdisney. The original line-up consisted of Coughlan, Nick Allum, Aindrías Ó Grúama, Jonathan Fell (later replaced by Hugh Bunker) and Zac Woolhouse (replaced by Nick Bagnall and Nick Bunker).
The Fatima Mansions were a popular live band, and gained indie chart success with their albums Viva Dead Ponies, Bertie's Brochures, Valhalla Avenue and Lost in the Former West.
They entered the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart in 1992 with a heavily disfigured version of Bryan Adams' song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", part of a charity fundraiser double A-side; the flip-track was a tune by the Manic Street Preachers whose popularity had, in fact, secured the single's chart placement.
The band often courted controversy with religion, dictators, empires and general authority being targets for Coughlan's vitriol. Despite this, The Guardian newspaper described him as "the most underrated lyricist in pop today", and DJ John Peel said he could "listen to Cathal Coughlan sing the phone book".
