New Year Honour for former Organist
Dr Harry Grindle, from Down and Dromore and former Organist at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast has been awarded the MBE in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Harry Grindle was born in Bangor, County Down where he was chorister at the ancient abbey church. He was appointed to his first church organist post while still at school. Following studies in England, Dr Grindle returned to Northern Ireland in 1962, serving as organist at Bangor Parish Church until his appointment as Organist and Master of the Choristers at Belfast Cathedral two years later.
He is the author of a book on Irish Cathedral Music which is widely regarded as the definitive publication on the subject. He is the editor of a hymn-book for children and has a large number of liturgical compositions to his credit. His hymn-tune, Stranmillis, a prize-winner in the St Paul's Cathedral Millennium Hymn Competition, was selected for inclusion in the latest edition of the St Paul's Cathedral Hymnal. In 1977 Dr Grindle became the first Irish musician to be elected to an Associateship of the Royal School of Church Music in recognition of his 'distinguished services to the music of the Church' and in June 2005 the degree of Doctor of Music was conferred on him by the Archbishop of Canterbury. His busy and varied career has been the subject of a film documentary shown on UTV.