About Us

The WeeBag Band consist of 5 musicians Paul Bassom, Rory McGough, Mark Harmsworth, Alan Colinson & Julian Anderson. From time to time they have the odd (sometimes very odd) musician join them.

Paul & Rory met in back in 1993 and as both of them have a keen interest in music they soon hit it off. Problem was that at that time Rory was based in Denbigh while Paul was based in London. In 1998 Paul moved up to Denbigh allowing them more time to develop their musical style. Since 2001 they have been playing in pubs & clubs in and around North Wales. Wanting to create a more dynamic sound Mark & Alan joined in 2003.

With the introduction of Jules the Fiddle in 2007 and Jim the Flute joining us from time to time, the band were often seen out & about as a 5 & 6 piece and capable of delivering the dynamic and energetic sound that is unique to Irish Music.

Oh.! and the name.......? Well lets just say we were under the influence of something a tad iffy when we came up with that one and were stuck with it now...!!!

A keen guitarist from the year dot Paul taught himself to play Guitar and played with a few bands on the London pub scene. Playing anything from jazz to pop and rock to folk........ He just lives for music. While doing this he was slowly building up his home recording studio which allowed him to experiment with the music he loves in a variety of ways. One notable session saw Paul write and record a complete Gregorian Chant..... Have a listen here. Mind you he is the only guy I know who could write a slow ballad that includes the word scientific !!! In recent years Paul has taken up the Bodhran exploring the infinite potential of this ancient yet wonderful instrument.

Born of Irish Parents, Rory spent most of his formative years in Ireland surrounded by music. His grandmother taught the Luxembourg Royal Family piano while his mother became an accomplished Pianist. His father not only plays the piano but the piano accordion and fiddle as well. His sister Lesley plays keyboards for a very popular Irish band in Liverpool called Blarneystone while his brother David can be heard playing whistle, guitar, mandolin and bodhran in the pubs and clubs in an around Waterford, southern Ireland, with his band Seamus Agus Peadar. Fed on a constant diet of Irish Music it was inevitable that The Weebag Band would focus on this. Rory plays guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica & bodhran.

A cartographer by day and a Bodhran Tutor by night. The percussionist of the band, Alan, possesses no less than 15 drums and 50 tippers (sticks). As one of the U.K.'s leading bodhran tutors Alan's skills are constantly in demand up and down the country for everything from workshops to festivals. He runs weekly lessons both in Mold & Llandudno teaching not only Celtic but also Shamanic & meditational drumming. Have a look at his website www.bodhranwisdom.co.uk

Classically trained on the cello Mark also plays Bass & Keyboards. As one of these annoyingly gifted people who can turn his hand to virtually anything Mark felt that an electric cello might sound good with the set. Now most people would elect to buy one... not Mark, he is making one. It's 3/4 finished and looks very impressive. Watch this space & we'll let you know what it sounds like.

Not content with making cello's Mark has embarked on satisfying the growing demand for UK built bodhran's and applying his considerable talents along with Alan to make bespoke bodhrans of any size. These can be viewed on www.boomtasticdrums.com