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27th Aug 2024

Mayo pub hoping Gallaghers return following Oasis reunion tour

Simon Kelly

“A lot of people come in and take a few photographs.”

A Mayo publican has said he hopes Liam and Noel Gallagher return to their local pub for a drink following their announcement of Oasis reunion gigs.

The band have announced that they are reuniting for the first time since 2009 with a new UK and Ireland tour.

Liam and Noel are getting back together and have confirmed 14 dates across the UK and Ireland in 2025, ending with two nights in Croke Park.

Tied to Charlestown in County Mayo by their mother and late grandmother Margaret, the Gallagher brothers are known to frequent JJ Finan’s pub when they come to visit Ireland.

John Finan, who has run the pub and hardware store since 1953, says he is ‘delighted’ they’re back together and that it would be ‘grand to have them back’ in the pub.

Mayo pub JJ Finan’s hoping Gallaghers return following Oasis reunion announcement

Speaking to The Mirror, John said: “The last time they were together was the grandmother’s funeral. That’s a few years ago.

“They set themselves up at the bar and had a couple of glasses of Guinness with a customer of mine. We’d a great, lovely evening,” he said, adding that they were a “lovely family.”

John told the publication that the brother’s fondness of the pub has brought a lot of tourists to the establishment.

“We’ve a few photographs in here of them. A lot of people come in and take a few photographs.”

The pub owner said that Liam “put us back on the map” amidst the cultural decline of the rural pub.

JJ Finan's Oasis pub
JJ Finan’s pub in Charlestown, Co. Mayo (Google Maps)

JJ Finan’s featured in the 2016 documentary Liam: As it Was, which charted the Gallagher brother’s journey post-Oasis.

In an interview for the documentary, Liam recalled stopping by the pub for a pint or 30, and subsequently going viral after an impromptu performance in front of some stunned locals.

“I call my mam and go ‘ah Mam, I’ll be there (home) in a bit, don’t worry,” he said in the doc.

“I’m just having a Guinness’ and you know what it’s like. There’s no such thing as just having one.

“Before I know it, I’m about 30 Guinness’ in. Then someone gets the guitar out and before you know it, you’re thinking that you can fucking play it!”

The pub has become a huge part of Liam’s life with some say it marked the turning point of him launching his solo career.

Whether that’s true or not, we’re sure there’ll be a few pints waiting for the Gallaghers next year after they make their way down from Dublin.

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