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Meet the mum of Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, Peggy Gallagher: she was instrumental in convincing the pair to reconcile – but ‘couldn’t give a s***’ about the reunion tour

STORYCarolina Malis
Meet Peggy Gallagher, mother of reconciled Oasis stars Noel and Liam Gallagher. Photo: Getty Images
Meet Peggy Gallagher, mother of reconciled Oasis stars Noel and Liam Gallagher. Photo: Getty Images
Celebrity Families

Ireland-born Peggy raised her 3 sons away from their abusive father in a council house in Manchester, where she still lives – for her 80th birthday, her wish was for Liam and Noel to make up

The Gallagher brothers of Oasis fame may be preparing to light up stadiums again in summer, but the unexpected heroine of their much-anticipated reunion? Their mother, Peggy Gallagher, 81. While speaking at a National Portrait Gallery event in London, Noel Gallagher, 57, shared her surprisingly indifferent reaction to the news of the band’s blockbuster tour, The Sun reported last November. “When we told her we were getting back together, she said, ‘Sure, that will be nice.’ My mum couldn’t give a s***,” he revealed.

Still, as LadBible reports, Peggy has been quietly rooting for the reconciliation for years, urging her feuding sons to mend their relationship. While the world watched Noel and Liam’s decade-long quarrel escalate through interviews and social media, Peggy remained the steady force pushing for compromise. El País reported that the turning point came in 2023 during a spa day that Liam, 52, organised to celebrate Peggy’s 80th birthday. True to form, she didn’t mince words, saying all she wanted was for the brothers to start talking again. That moment became the first step towards the reunion fans had almost given up on.

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But who exactly is Peggy Gallagher? Here’s everything we know about the woman behind two of Britpop’s brightest stars.

Peggy Gallagher had a rough childhood

A family portrait of the Gallagher family in the mid-1970s. From left: Noel Gallagher, Paul Gallagher, Liam Gallagher and mother Peggy Gallagher. Photo: Getty Images
A family portrait of the Gallagher family in the mid-1970s. From left: Noel Gallagher, Paul Gallagher, Liam Gallagher and mother Peggy Gallagher. Photo: Getty Images

Before raising two of Britain’s biggest rock stars, Peggy Gallagher – born Margaret Sweeney in 1943 – lived a humble life in County Mayo, Ireland. According to El País, she was one of 11 siblings and left school early to work as a cook and cleaner at a seminary, earning just one pound a week, to support her family. As Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis author Paolo Hewitt revealed (via the Daily Mail), Peggy took on adult responsibilities at a young age, stepping up during her mother Margaret’s bouts of poor health.

She fled her abusive husband, taking her sons with her

Peggy Gallagher celebrates her 56th birthday at the Titanic restaurant, London, with son Noel Gallagher and his partner Meg Mathews, in 1999. Photo: Getty Images
Peggy Gallagher celebrates her 56th birthday at the Titanic restaurant, London, with son Noel Gallagher and his partner Meg Mathews, in 1999. Photo: Getty Images

As El País reports, at 18, Peggy moved to Manchester to work as a housekeeper and childminder, eventually marrying Tommy Gallagher, a fellow Irish immigrant who ran a concreting business. But the marriage was far from idyllic.