BASIL GRACE, who has died aged 77, was throughout his life associated with the choir of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.
Born in Dublin in 1931, he attended Zion Parish infants' school, Rathgar, before entering the choir school at the cathedral. In 1938, he became a boy chorister. His father, a celebrated alto lay vicar choral, had been part of the choir since his arrival in Dublin from Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford 10 years previously.
Under the aegis of Dr George Hewson, Basil Grace sang solos and grew to love the music of Byrd, Purcell, Gibbons, Stamford and Wood as well as Bach, Mozart, Haydn and Brahms.
He entered the grammar school and, after his voice broke, returned to the choir as lay vicar choral of the prebendary of Swords, singing the daily services in the first stall opposite his father. In 1949, he joined the staff of the representative body of the Church of Ireland, where he made lifelong friends.
He became secretary of the Irish Clergy Sons' Education Society and assisted in compiling a new hymnal Irish Church Praise. He was responsible for the singing, recording and distribution of recorded church music, to parishes without choirs or organs. The project's success meant he received orders from abroad and from hymn lovers.
His great interest was the Hibernian Catch Club, established in 1680 and believed to be the oldest gentlemen's musical dining club in the world. He succeeded his father as honorary secretary in the early 1980s. Despite illness, he attended the March dinner at which he was presented with an illuminated scroll and cases of choice wine.
He was a former president of the St Patrick's Past Choristers Society and a sometime chairman of the Friends of St Patrick's. An enthusiastic member of the Friends of Christ Church, he helped organise the last annual pilgrimage to Southwell Minster, near Nottingham, in October.
Retiring in the early 1990s, he became a Sunday man and a deputy. He joined the board of St Patrick's Cathedral, and was a sometime president of the Dublin Knot of the Friendly Brothers of St Patrick. He was also active in the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and participated in the Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society.
He will be remembered for always seeing the best in people and a strong Christian faith that never faltered. He is survived by his sisters June and Patricia, niece Gillian, nephews Peter, Mark and Simon and his friend and companion of 40 years, John Kilgore.
Basil Ewart Grace: born June 13th, 1931; died April 2nd, 2009