Jubilee Allstars' widely-lauded 2000 album had references to such topics as homelessness and racism 

The North Cork band emerged from a thriving music scene on Leeside in the 1990s 

Gay Woods and Trevor Knight got plenty of radio play and a helping hand from Phil Lynott in the lead-up to their only studio album 

The 1990 album from Craig Walker and co is still regarded as one of the classic Irish records of the era 

Roger Doyle and Olwen Foueré were at the heart of Operating Theatre, a rare group in Ireland using a Fairlight synthesiser in the 1980s. They even had Bono helping out on their single/EP, Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In The Mouth 

Achtung Baby's electronic flourishes marked a departure in terms of sound for the band, spawning singles such as Mysterious Ways and Even Better Than the Real Thing 

The Dublin four-piece overcame health issues to bring the guitar-band sound in new directions on their momentous second album 

Oisín Lunny and co supported U2 on the Dublin leg of the ZooTV tour, and also offered up one of the early examples of quality Irish hip hop 

Leaving it relatively late to become music stars, Davy Carton and co recall how the Tuam band's 1991 debut changed their lives 

Rory Gallagher's 1973 album, Tattoo, was recorded in London, but much of it was written in Cork. Among its tracks are A Million Miles Away, inspired by a walk in Ballycotton 

Troublegum in 1994 really established Therapy? as a force to be reckoned with

Astral Weeks has been hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time. Beautiful and influential, it was created in the US amidst a complicated period in Morrison's life 

Dave Couse and co had been dropped by a major label and looked to be on a downward trajectory when they enlisted the help of a Scottish icon to produce their 1991 masterpiece 

The Derry band have mixed memories of the early reception they got in their home town, but a push by John Peel helped ensure they became one of the best bands of the era 

The Donegal outfit's soundtrack for the Robin Of Sherwood TV helped push them to international fame 

In the scramble to identify the 'next U2', the Dublin band fronted by Tom Dunne very much put themselves in the conversation on the back of a 1990 album that included the classic Parachute 

The first instalment of our new series looks at the Cork band's third album, an impressive offering despite its arrival at a time when the group's profile was on a downward slide