In 2022, PBS stations nationwide aired Celtic Dreams: Daniel Hope’s Hidden Irish History, a TV documentary following the violinist as he explored Ireland, Irish music and his own family past. July 5 sees the release of Irish Roots, an album on Deutsche Grammophon propelled by Hope’s desire to investigate and express previously dormant strands of his musical DNA. Among other pieces, it includes music by 20th-century composer Ina Boyle, works by the great bard and harpist Turlough O’Carolan, and traditional favorites such as “Danny Boy,” plus classical pieces by itinerant foreigners and the fifth of Vivaldi’s L’estro armonico concertos, a smash hit in Ireland 300 years ago. Hope is joined on the new album by a stellar line-up of guest artists, including Lúnasa, harpist Siobhán Armstrong, flautists Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway, singer Rea Garvey, multi-instrumentalist and folk musician Ross Daly, fellow violinist Simos Papanas, and the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Geiss.

Hope explains:

“From the time we left South Africa in the early 1970s until four or five years ago, I held only Irish nationality. My father was handed an exit permit by the South African authorities, which basically said, ‘Get out, and stay out.’ It meant we lost our South African citizenship, so we were stranded as stateless exiles, first in Paris, then in London. My mother discovered that if you had an Irish grandmother, you could apply for Irish citizenship. She tracked down various birth certificates and other documents in Waterford, filled in some forms and suddenly we were Irish! That identity was handed to me before I could walk. It was only much later that I realized it had probably saved us; certainly, it meant we could stay and work in London, which ultimately led to my mother becoming Yehudi Menuhin’s secretary. I’ve kept my Irish citizenship precisely because of the enormous gratitude I feel towards Ireland and for what it means to my entire family.”

Hope gives several live performances of music from Irish Roots and more this summer along with his AIR Ensemble, comprising Simos Papanas on violin, Emanuele Forni on both lute and Baroque guitar, Nicola Mosca on cello and harp, Michael Metzler on percussion and Markellos Chryssicos on harpsichord. They perform in the German cities of Essen (June 23), Bad Füssing (July 20), and Pulheim (Aug 30); and in Zweisimmen, Switzerland at the Menuhin Festival (July 30).

Stream the album here.