Cathal Coughlan, the Irish singer-songwriter who fronted Microdisney and the Fatima Mansions, has died. Coughlan passed away at the age of 61 on Wednesday, May 18. His family announced his passing “with deep sadness” in a statement shared across the musician’s social media accounts, writing that Coughlan “slipped away peacefully in hospital after a long illness.”
Born in Cork, Coughlan entered the music scene in 1980 when he and Sean O’Hagan formed their band Microdisney. The band eventually relocated from Cork to London, becoming a five-piece and in 1984 releasing their full-length debut Everybody Is Fantastic. They went on to release four additional albums, first for Rough Trade Records and then for Virgin Records, with Coughlan serving as the band’s singer and songwriter, before they disbanded in 1988. The band’s appeal was long-lasting, however, and Microdisney eventually returned for two reunion concerts at Dublin’s National Concert Hall and the Barbican in London in 2018.
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Following Microdisney’s split, Coughlan formed Fatima Mansions, “an outfit that combined his love of abrasive near-industrial rock noise with a fondness of traditional folk music, and fiercely idiosyncratic lyrics full of striking imagery and mordant social and political comment,” his family wrote. The first Fatima Mansions record, Against Nature, came out the following year, and the band was active until 1995. The band’s last recordings came in 1994. Throughout his decades-long career, Coughlan also released a series of solo albums, most recently Song of Co-Aklan in 2021. He also released an album as Telefís, a duo he formed with producer Jacknife Lee.
Amid news of his passing, fans of Coghlan as well as those who worked with him have shared their respects. Luke Haines, who collaborated with Coughlan on the high concept project The North Sea Scrolls, tweeted, “I have no words at the moment. Just sadness and anger really.” Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess wrote, “His brilliant songs remain. Play them loud and remember him.” Commenting on Instagram, one fan remembered Coughlan as “a truly unique musician, with a voice that blew me away in Dublin many years ago and ever since.” That fan went on to send “condolences to his family and friends, may he rest in peace.”
Coughlan is survived by his wife, Julie. His family confirmed that a memorial service will be held “amongst close friends and family.” In the statement confirming his passing, Coughlan’s family asked “that everyone respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time.”
