Brian “Rags” Ferguson (Ireland)

Brian Ferguson has been playing music from a very young age and turned professional at the age of 23, playing as a session percussionist and drummer ever since. He has played with several bands in different places over the years but now resides in Galway, where he founded and has been running the drumkit and percussion school “Funky Drums School of Music.”

Originally from the hills of County Wicklow, Brian honed his skills as a bodhrán player and played for years in the trad scene. There has always been a strong connection to Irish traditional music within his family, and his sister Linda Ferguson is now a full time trad whistle player, traveling the world with her group “The Molly Maguires.”

Brian traveled to Cuba over ten years ago to train with Master Drummer David Morales from Trinidad. He has had a love affair with Latin music ever since, and has played with several Latin salsa groups in Galway.

Brian has always felt that there is a unique energy and pulsating groove to Salsa percussion. Its exotic and irresistible feel, combined with the soulful deep-rooted melodies of Irish trad music, make “Baile An Salsa” the perfect marriage of what he feels are the strongest and most enjoyable forms of music to play.