In the video, available here, which is aimed at encouraging visitors to Northern Ireland as soon as it is safe to travel again, the Belfast-born musician says that the Londonderry Air, or Danny Boy, is the most beautiful tune he knows.
Sir James says "I'd like to play for you a tune that I used to play on the streets of Belfast where I grew up," and he invites viewers to “come and visit us one time in Northern Ireland and we will play it for you”.
Some of the most iconic locations of Northern Ireland’s famous Causeway Coastal Route form the backdrop to his spine-tingling performance, including places like Titanic Belfast, Mussenden Temple, the Dark Hedges, Derry~Londonderry’s city walls and Peace Bridge, Dunluce Castle and the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.
Other attractions around Ireland are also featured, including the six-century monastic site of Glendalough, the ancient Hill of Tara and the Cliffs of Moher on the Wild Atlantic Way.
As one of the world’s most popular and recognisable tunes, Danny Boy is one of those rare melodies that taps into the emotions and still feels utterly timeless.
The tune was first noted down on a market day in 1851 in Limavady, County Londonderry, by a local schoolteacher Miss Jane Ross. She heard the melody being played by blind fiddler Jimmy McCurry.