Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher’s Irish heritage traced through Meath and Mayo

Ahead of Oasis’ highly anticipated reunion tour, we explore Liam and Noel Gallagher’s Irish heritage, their connections to Mayo and Meath, and how their Irish identity and upbringing in Manchester’s expat Irish community influenced their sound.

Earlier this year, Noel and Liam Gallagher, the famously feuding brothers behind the legendary rock band Oasis, revealed plans to reunite after 15 years. This announcement sent waves of excitement through their fanbase, especially in Ireland – their parents’ homeland.

But behind the headlines of chart-topping success and public feuds lies an Irish family whose story was shaped by emigration.

Born in Manchester to Irish Catholic working-class parents, the Gallagher brothers are the sons of Margaret “Peggy” Sweeney from Charlestown, Co. Mayo and Thomas “Tommy” Gallagher from Duleek, Co. Meath. Their marriage was troubled, and Tommy left the family when the boys were still young, becoming estranged from his children in later years. Growing up, Noel and Liam’s mother was the central figure in their lives and the strongest influence in shaping their Irish sense of identity.

Noel and Liam Gallagher’s family tree

All the individuals we researched in Noel and Liam’s family tree were Roman Catholic. Certain lines on both the maternal and paternal sides of the family can be traced back to the rockstar brothers’ great-great-great-grandparents.

The maternal side and the Mayo connection

Most of Liam and Noel’s ancestors on the maternal side of the family tree were from the Charlestown and Swinford areas of east Mayo. A number of them spoke Irish in addition to English. 

Sweeney branch

The surname Sweeney, along with its variants MacSweeny, MacSwiney and Swiney, derives from the Irish Mac Suibhne. Historically linked with the Scottish Gallowglasses who settled in Co. Donegal, it is now a common name throughout Ireland, particularly in Cork and Kerry.

William “Bill” Sweeney was Noel and Liam Gallagher’s maternal grandfather. In 1938, he married Margaret O’Brien in Charlestown’s parish church in Co. Mayo. At the time, William was living in Ballaghaderreen in Co. Roscommon and working as a labourer. Together, William and Margaret established their home in the countryside near Charlestown, raising a family of 11 children. William predeceased his wife. His father, Patrick Sweeney, was a farmer – he was Noel and Liam’s great-grandfather. Research into this branch of the Gallagher family tree is ongoing.

O’Brien branch

The surname O’Brien is derived from the Irish Ó Briain. It is a very common surname, especially across Munster and Leinster. Its prominence is largely due to Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland from 1002–14 AD.

Noel and Liam Gallagher’s maternal grandmother, Margaret Sweeney née O’Brien, was born on 29 October 1920 in Ballydrum townland, south of Charlestown. She was a twin and arrived into this world 30 minutes before her younger sister Bridget. Their other siblings included Mary (b.1911), Anne (b.1912), Anthony (b.1913), Ellen (b.1915), Catherine (b.1919), Daniel (b.1921) and Frances (b.1923).

In 1938, at just 17 years old, Margaret married William Sweeney, but the marriage record incorrectly states she was of “full” age, implying she was 21 years or over. She was then living in the townland of Mullenmadoge, between Charlestown and Swinford. Margaret passed away in 2000, just shy of her 80th birthday, in her 19th-century house in the townland of Sonnagh on the Swinford side of Charlestown. At the height of their fame, Noel and Liam attended their grandmother’s funeral in Charlestown, where they were left alone to mourn in peace, surrounded by family.

Margaret’s parents were Daniel “Dan” O’Brien and Margaret O’Neill – Noel and Liam’s great-grandparents. Daniel was born in Ballydrum in 1875 and was a farmer like his father before him. He married Margaret in 1910 in Bushfield Chapel. They started their married life in Ballydrum, residing in a small 3rd-class house that included a stable, piggery and barn, as recorded in the 1911 census.

Daniel was one of 12 children, though two of his siblings died at a young age. Daniel died at the age of 68 in the mental hospital in Castlebar (later St Mary’s Hospital) in 1943 due to heart disease.

Daniel’s parents were Anthony O’Brien, a farmer and Anne McLoughlin – Noel and Liam’s great-great-grandparents. They lived in a small 3rd-class house in Ballydrum, as documented in the 1901 and the 1911 censuses. Anthony, who was born sometime between about 1835 and 1841, succumbed to bronchitis in 1915, passing away in his 70s or 80s.

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The O’Brien family’s connection to Ballydrum possibly extends further back – Griffith’s Valuation (1847–64) lists two O’Briens in the townland. An Anthony O’Brien was occupying a house and 28 acres, with a rateable annual valuation of £1 8 shillings, while James O’Brien was leasing 28 acres, with a rateable annual valuation of 18 shillings. In both cases, Edward Baxter was the lessor.

O’Neill branch

The O’Neill surname, derived from the Irish Ó Néill, is most commonly associated with Ulster but is also found across Ireland.

Margaret “Maggie” O’Brien née O’Neill – often styled O’Neil in records – was Noel and Liam Gallagher’s great-grandmother. Born in 1883 in the townland of Barnacahoge, south of Charlestown, she later settled with her husband Daniel in Ballydrum. Margaret died in 1960 at the age of 77 in Mullenmadoge following a cerebral haemorrhage.

Her parents, John O’Neill and Ellen Mannion, were Noel and Liam’s great-great-grandparents. John, born in the 1840s, married Ellen in 1877 in Kilbeagh church. At the time of their wedding, John was living in the townland of Barnalyra, south of Charlestown. John was a farmer like his father before him. He and Ellen had eight children (as well as Margaret, this included Thomas, born 1881 and Patrick, born 1893); tragically, three of their children died young. The O’Neill family lived in a small 3rd-class house in Barnacahoge, as recorded in the 1901 and the 1911 censuses, with a stable, a cow house, a piggery and a shed. John died at home in 1920 in his 70s.

John’s father Ned O’Neill, a farmer, was Noel and Liam’s great-great-great-grandfather. Ned can be short for Edmund, Edward or Éamonn, among other names. An Edmund O’Neill is recorded in Griffith’s Valuation (1847–64) in Barnalyra, occupying a house, an office and 24 acres of land with a rateable annual valuation of £5 5 shillings held from Viscount Dillon.

Research conducted by genealogist Paddy Waldron, available via WikiTree, indicates that Ned was married to a woman named Mary (born c.1815) – possibly his second wife. In addition to John, Ned’s children included Mary (born c.1839), Anne “Nancy” (born c.1851), Eliza (born c.1855), Pat (whose marriage record lists his father as Edward, though it is likely a reference to Ned, considering other supporting factors) and Edward (born c.1854), who sadly died as a teenager in 1871 at the age of 17. Ned predeceased Mary, who died in 1887 in her 70s.

Ned O’Neill represents the furthest traceable point on this branch of the Gallagher brothers’ ancestry.

Mannion branch

The surname Mannion, from the Irish Ó Mainnín, is especially common in Connacht. Ellen Mannion née O’Neill, Noel and Liam Gallagher’s great-great-grandmother, hailed from the townland of Barnacahoge. It was here that she and her husband John made a home for their family. Based on the information in a potential death record, Ellen was possibly born around 1848 and passed away in 1934 in Mullenmadoge – 14 years after John.

Ellen’s father was Thomas Mannion, a farmer in Barnacahoge. Based on a possible death record, he may have been born around 1810 and died in 1890 in Barnacahoge. Thomas Mannion was Noel and Liam’s great-great-great-grandfather, and he represents the furthest point traced in this branch of the Gallagher brothers’ family tree.

McLoughlin branch

The surname McLoughlin and its variants, from the Irish Mac Lochlainn, is widely found in the northern half of Ireland. The Gaelic personal name Lochlann was applied to Viking settlers in the early medieval period and later became a popular name in its own right. Anne “Annie” McLoughlin, Noel and Liam Gallagher’s great-great-grandmother, was likely born in the late 1830s or early 1840s. Research into this branch of the Gallagher family tree is ongoing.

The paternal side and the Meath connection

On the paternal side of the family tree, Noel and Liam’s ancestors were primarily based in and around the towns of Duleek and Slane in Co. Meath.

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The Gallagher branch

The surname Gallagher, from the Irish Ó Gallchobhair, is found across Ireland but is most common in Co. Donegal. In 2007, the Gallagher clan set a Guinness world record in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, for the largest gathering of people with the same surname. Six years later, organizers in Gortahork, Co. Donegal, invited Noel and Liam Gallagher to another record-breaking attempt. While thousands of Gallaghers showed up, the rockstar brothers didn’t attend and Guinness refused to officially recognize the attempt.

The Gallagher roots of these global superstars, however, lie in Co. Meath and as kids, Noel and Liam spent many summer holidays in Duleek, their father’s hometown. According to Geneastar, their paternal grandfather, William Gallagher, was born in Duleek in 1914. William married Frances Anne “Annie” McKeown in 1942 in the church of St Michael Kill in Summerhill, Co. Meath.

The couple lived in the townland of Downestown, just outside Duleek, where William worked as a labourer and later as a woodworker. His life was cut short when he died in 1960 at the young age of 45 – before his rockstar grandsons were even born.

William’s father was Thomas Gallagher, who was born in 1889 in Slane, Co. Meath. Oasis played their first major outdoor show at Slane Castle in 1995, supporting REM. Fourteen years later, Oasis returned to Slane as the headline act. Did the Gallagher brothers know then that Slane was the birthplace of their great-grandfather and had been home to generations of their ancestors? When they played in 1995, around 80 relatives attended the concert, with even more family members present when they returned as headliners.

Thomas Gallagher worked mainly as a labourer but was listed as a copper miner in the 1911 census. Later that year, he married fellow Meath native Mary Anne Lee in her local church in Duleek. Together, they had at least five children: John (b.1912), William (b.1914 – Noel and Liam’s grandad), Mary Anne (b.1916), Thomas (b.1918) and Patrick (b.1921). The family lived in various locations around Co. Meath, including Sallybrook, Downestown and Gillinstown, though they nearly always stayed close to Duleek. Two years after his wife passed away and twenty months after his son William passed, Thomas died of myocarditis and arteriosclerosis in 1961, aged 72.

Thomas was the son of John Gallagher, Noel and Liam’s great-great-grandfather. John was baptized in Slane on 13 July 1857, worked variously as a labourer and a harness maker, and married Catherine Fegan. John and Catherine had at least five children: John (b.1884), Andrew (born c.1886/87), Thomas (b.1889 – Noel and Liam’s great-grandfather), Anna Maria (b.1893) and Patrick (b.1898). At the time of the 1901 and 1911 censuses, the family lived in a modest 2nd-class house in Slane with a piggery and a fowl house.

John’s parents were another John Gallagher and Anne Finnegan – Noel and Liam’s great-great-great-grandparents. Details about John (senior) are difficult to confirm.

A John “Gallaher”, which may refer to him, appears in Griffith’s Valuation (1847–64) as the occupier of a house in Slane town, with a rateable annual valuation of 10 shillings, leased from John Lynch. Based on one possible death record, John Gallagher may have been born around 1822, worked as a harness maker (a trade later taken up by his son John) and died in Rossnaree, near Slane, in 1892, at about 70 years of age. His wife is believed to have predeceased him.

This is as far as we can confidently trace the Gallagher line. However, one Gallagher family from Slane holds a tradition that their ancestor moved from Donegal to Slane to work on the castle estate, suggesting the next step back may lie in the northernmost county.

Lee, Murray, Concannon and White branches

One of Noel and Liam Gallagher’s paternal great-grandmothers was Mary Anne Gallagher née Lee. She was born in 1889 in Duleek and died in 1959, aged 69. The surname Lee is common in Ireland and can be of indigenous origin, deriving from the Irish Ó Laoidhigh or Mac Laoidhigh. However, it is also a common English surname, indicating that some bearers of the name in Ireland are descended from English settlers.

Mary Anne Lee’s father – and Noel and Liam’s great-great-grandfather – was William Lee, a labourer, who spent much of his life in Duleek. He was baptized there on 10 August 1855, got married there in 1881 and died there in 1920, aged 64.

William’s wife was fellow Duleek native Mary Anne Murray. Murray is a very common surname throughout Ireland and can be of Scottish origin, especially in Ulster or of Irish origin, deriving from Ó Muireadhaigh or Mac Muireadhaigh.

Mary Anne Murray was baptized on 6 June 1856 and died in 1934, aged 78. At the time of Mary Anne and William’s wedding, they were both living in Commons townland in Duleek town. She was then working as a housekeeper and later worked as a dressmaker.

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William and Mary Anne had 11 children: John (b.1882), Margaret (b.1883), who died in childhood, Patrick (1885–1886), who died at the age of 18 months from hydrocephalus, Catherine (b.1886), Frances or “Fanny” (b.1888), Mary Anne (b.1889 – Noel and Liam’s great-grandmother), William (b.1892), Alice (b.1893), another son named Patrick (b.1895), Brigid (b.1897) and James (b.1898). At the time of the 1901 census, the Lee family lived in a small 3rd-class house in Commons townland in Duleek town.

By the time of the 1911 census, William, his wife Mary Anne and four of their children had moved to Bellewstown, a small distance outside Duleek, to a slightly more comfortable 2nd-class dwelling with a piggery and a fowl house. In a 2008 interview, Noel Gallagher recalled going to Bellowstown Races with his father as a child.

At the time of the 1911 census, William and Mary Anne’s daughter Mary Anne (Noel and Liam’s great-grandmother), then aged 21, was living with the Smyths in a plush 1st-class house in the coastal village of Mornington, Co. Meath. She worked as a cook and domestic servant for solicitor James Smyth and his family. Later that year, Mary Anne would marry Thomas Gallagher.

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William Lee was the son of John Lee, a labourer and Catherine Concannon – these are Noel and Liam’s great-great-great-grandparents. The Concannon surname, from the Irish Ó Concheanainn, is relatively rare outside Co. Galway and its neighbouring counties.

Few details can be confirmed about the couple, but a John Lee, recorded in Griffith’s Valuation (1847–64), could refer to him. He is listed as the occupier of a house and garden, with a rateable annual valuation of £1, on the “Lane” in Commons townland in Duleek town.

Mary Anne Murray’s father, Patrick Murray, a labourer, is also possibly listed in Griffith’s Valuation (1847–64) as the occupier of a house in the townland of Garballagh, just outside Duleek, with a rateable annual valuation of 5 shillings, leased from Francis J. Kelly.

Mary Anne Murray’s mother and Patrick’s wife was Margaret White. The surname White is one of the most common in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (including in Leinster). A sizeable proportion of those bearing the name in Ireland are of English or Scottish extraction.

Patrick Murray and Margaret White were another pair of Noel and Liam’s great-great-great-grandparents.

McKeown branch

Noel and Liam Gallagher’s paternal grandmother was Frances Anne “Annie” Gallagher née McKeown. Although Annie was living in the townland of Rahinstown, near Summerhill, when she married William Gallagher, the family later settled in the townland of Downestown, just outside Duleek. Annie passed away in 2008 in the 92nd year of her life, just hours before her grandson Liam tied the knot with Nicole Appleton.

Frances was the daughter of John McKeown, a labourer – Noel and Liam’s paternal great-grandfather. While we have found limited information about this branch of the family so far, the surname McKeown is derived from the Irish Mac Eoghain and is most common in Ulster and Louth.

Fegan branch

Noel and Liam Gallagher’s great-great-grandmother Catherine “Kate” Gallagher née Fegan was born around 1855/56. Catherine, who was unable to read, worked as a housekeeper. The surname Fegan, which is most common in Ulster and especially in Co. Down, originates from the Irish Ó Faodhagáin but in Leinster, the name Fegan (and the more common variant Fagan) often has Norman origins and is particularly widespread in Meath and Dublin. Again, we have found limited information about the Fegan branch of the family.

Finnegan branch

Anne Gallagher née Finnegan was one of Noel and Liam Gallagher’s great-great-great-grandmothers. While information regarding Anne is difficult to track down, a possible death record suggests she may have been born around 1825, worked as a housekeeper and passed away in Slane in 1890 at approximately 65 years, leaving behind her husband, John Gallagher (snr). The surname Finnegan, derived from the Irish Ó Fionnagáin, is widespread across Ireland, though less so in Munster.

Growing up Irish in Manchester

In the early 1960s, Peggy Sweeney and Tommy Gallagher were among thousands of Irish emigrants who moved to Manchester, drawn by a boom in the city’s construction industry. The pair met for the first time in Manchester. Peggy and Tommy’s first child was Paul, followed by Noel, born on 29 May 1967 and then William “Liam” on 21 September 1972.

The Gallagher family lived in a council estate and were part of Manchester’s vibrant working-class Irish community. Several of Peggy’s sisters and brothers also settled in the same part of Manchester, creating a tight-knit family network. The boys attended Catholic schools and Noel even played Gaelic football in his teenage years.

During the height of the Troubles and IRA activity in the 1970s, the family faced anti-Irish sentiment in England. Noel has been vocal about how he felt “demonized” for being part of the Irish community and has spoken about one incident when British soldiers searched their car after a visit to Mayo.

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Visits to Mayo

After relocating to Manchester in the 1960s, Peggy remained close to her family back home. As children, Noel, Liam and their older brother Paul frequently accompanied their mother to Mayo, where they spent their summer holidays.

During these visits, they stayed with Peggy’s mother, Margaret Sweeney née O’Brien, in her house in the townland of Sonnagh, just outside Charlestown. The Gallagher brothers were particularly close to their “gran”, who had 24 grandchildren. Noel has fondly recalled these childhood visits, comparing them to “a big holiday camp” filled with cousins and aunts, with evenings spent sipping red lemonade in the local pub.

“Where my mam is from – out in the west – is very, very rural. Great when you’re a small child and you’re around animals and when they’re cutting turf. It was all farms and fishing. They were great times.”

In the two decades since their grandmother’s death, the Gallagher brothers have continued to nurture their links to Mayo. Liam, a proud supporter of the Mayo Gaelic football team, praised the “pure passion” of the sport on Twitter (now X) after the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final, despite Mayo’s loss to Dublin.

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Irish influence on Oasis

Growing up in an Irish community in Manchester, Liam and Noel Gallagher were heavily exposed to Irish music, which helped to shape the band’s sound alongside more obvious influences like The Beatles and The Stone Roses. Tommy, Noel and Liam’s dad, worked as a DJ in Manchester’s Irish social clubs and was well-known within the local Irish community. His repertoire included The Chieftains, The Dubliners, Daniel O’Donnell and various Irish country acts. Liam and Noel’s O’Brien granduncles (Margaret’s brothers) were always into traditional Irish music – they played the fiddle, the accordion and the flute.

Noel has frequently emphasized the importance of their Irish heritage in shaping the band’s identity. In Supersonic, a biography of Oasis, he commented,

“Oasis could never have existed, been as big, been as important, been as flawed, been as loved and loathed, if we weren’t all predominantly Irish.”

All five original members of the Manchester band come from Irish families. Interestingly, their guitarist Paul Arthurs, known as “Bonehead”, also has Mayo roots: his mother hailed from Swinford, just a few miles from Charlestown – Peggy Sweeney’s hometown.

In 1996, Oasis played at The Point Depot (now the 3Arena) in Dublin, a moment Noel described as especially emotional. His mother attended one of the shows and Noel recalled,

“Mam was an angel, still is. But I didn’t like me mam coming to gigs. I was always on edge; I could never relax with me mam at gigs.”

“There is no English blood in us”

Despite their Mancunian upbringing, the Gallagher brothers have always identified strongly with their Irish heritage. Noel has been particularly vocal about his Irish identity, stating, “There is no English blood in us”. He has consistently distanced himself from any English identity, declaring, “I’m not an England fan, I’m Irish”, in response to a question regarding the England national football team during an interview earlier this year.

The reunion – what’s the story?

The long-standing tensions between the Gallagher brothers came to a head in 2009 when Noel left Oasis after a backstage brawl at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris. He stated he “simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer”. Noel went on to form Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, while Liam also pursued a solo career. The brothers traded public jabs for over a decade, keeping one of rock’s most infamous sibling rivalries alive.

But in August this year, Noel and Liam Gallagher announced that Oasis would reunite for a 14-date tour in 2025, their first in 16 years. The highly anticipated reunion tour will include two nights at Croke Park in Dublin on 16 and 17 August.

As they prepare to take the stage again, by now, you should’ve somehow realized … how deeply the band’s Irish heritage has shaped their story.

Ongoing research

Although all available genealogical records have been carefully reviewed and sources cross-referenced, the links between the famous Gallagher brothers and the individuals mentioned in this article still need to be verified. The information tentatively presented here is based on the best available evidence, though definitive confirmation of direct lineage has yet to be conclusively established.

Our research into the Gallagher family tree is ongoing. If anyone has further information or is related to the global superstars, we’d love to hear from you. You can contact us at info@irishheritagenews.ie.

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