Hothouse Flowers are an Irish group combining traditional celtic music with modern rock, soul and gospel music. The group began in 1985 as street musicians, and quickly won a street entertainer award. In 1986, Bono from U2 saw the group on television and offered to help the group produce their debut album. The release of that album in 1988 was the most successful debut album in Irish history, reaching #1 on the Irish charts in its first week, and quickly reaching #2 on the UK charts.
After the release of their debut album, the Hothouse Flowers began touring extensively, pausing only to make occassional recordings to compile material for more very successful album releases. The group finally took a hiatus in 1993 so that members could rest and focus on solo projects. The respite was only temporary, and the band has resumed actively touring and recording.