1998 in Wales

← 1997 1996 1995 1998 in Wales → 1999 2000 2001
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1998 in The United Kingdom England Ireland Scotland

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1998 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – The Prince Charles
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Secretary of State for Wales
  • Ron Davies (until 27 October)
  • Alun Michael
• Archbishop of Wales – Alwyn Rice Jones, Bishop of St Asaph
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dafydd Rowlands

Events

• February 24 - The Criminal Cases Review Commission overturns the murder charge of Mahmood Hussein Mattan, who was executed in 1952 for killing a Cardiff shopkeeper.
• February - Britain's first official register of historic landscapes is published by Cadw. It lists 36 landscapes in Wales of outstanding historic interest.
• March 6 - Flintshire Bridge is officially opened.
• April 8-9 - Torrential rain over eastern Wales results in widespread flooding.
• April 13 - Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Öpik is seriously injured in a paragliding accident in his constituency.^[1]
• June - The Arts Council of Wales publishes its consultation paper Building A Creative Society.
• Ron Davies is appointed to the highest order of the Gorsedd of the Bards at the 1998 National Eisteddfod in Bridgend
• July 31 - The Government of Wales Act 1998, that will establish a devolved Welsh Assembly, receives its Royal Assent.
• September 19 - Ron Davies is elected in preference to Rhodri Morgan as Labour's candidate for First Secretary of the Assembly.
• October 22-31 - Heavy rainfall across Wales results in river levels rising to warning levels. Flood plains are inundated and there is extensive flooding of houses and other property.
• October 27 - Ron Davies resigns as Secretary of State for Wales after being mugged in an incident on Clapham Common, following what he described as an "error of judgment".
• November 18 - Jon Owen Jones, MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales, announces that the Environment Agency has been asked for a report on the October floods.

Arts and literature

• Bryn Terfel gives a recital at Carnegie Hall.

Awards

• Glyndŵr Award - Iwan Bala
• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Bridgend)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - withheld
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Emyr Lewis
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Eurig Wyn, Blodyn Tatws
• Wales Book of the Year:
  • English language: Mike Jenkins - Wanting to Belong
  • Welsh language: Iwan Llwyd - Dan Ddylanwad
• Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen - Geraint V. Jones, Semtecs

New books

• Gillian Clarke - Five Fields
• James Hawes - Rancid Aluminium
• Rhys Hughes - Rawhead & Bloody Bones
• Mario Risoli - When Pele Broke our Hearts: Wales and the 1958 World Cup
• Sarah Waters - Tipping the Velvet

Film

• Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones star in The Mask of Zorro.

Welsh language films

• Bride of War, starring Huw Garmon (in Welsh, English, French, German and Polish).

Music

• Anweledig - Sombreros yn y Glaw
• Charlotte Church - Voice of an Angel
• Melys - Rumours and Curses
• Bonnie Tyler - All in One Voice

Broadcasting

Welsh-language television

English-language television

Sport

• September - At the 1998 Commonwealth Games:
  • Kelly Morgan wins the badminton women's singles;
  • Iwan Thomas wins the men's 400 metres;
  • Desmond Davies wins the men's individual skeet shooting;
  • Wales win a total of 15 medals, including the three golds.

Births

Deaths

• 3 January - Tony Duncan, golfer and cricketer, 83
• 18 February - Robbie James, footballer, 40 (collapsed and died during match)^[2]
• 2 April - Dai Davies, trade unionist
• 4 April - Käte Bosse-Griffiths, author, 87
• 14 April - Dorothy Squires, singer, 83
• 11 May - Vronwy Hankey, archaeologist, 81
• 13 May - Arthur Rees, Wales international rugby player and police Chief Constable, 85
• 17 May - Hugh Cudlipp, journalist, 84
• 23 July - R. Tudur Jones, theologian and politician, 77
• 28 July - Nancy Evans, table tennis player, 95
• 3 August - Ronnie Boon, Wales rugby union player, 89
• 12 September - Horace Charles Jones, poet, 92
• 5 October - Megs Jenkins, actress, 81
• November - Eddie Perry, footballer, 89
• 16 December - Kenyon Jones, rugby player, 87
• 31 December - Alan Morris, footballer, 44
• December - Tommy Davies, boxer, 78

References

1. Higgit, D. (27 August 2005). "The day my life changed". Western Standard. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
2. Ivan Ponting (21 February 1998). "Obituary: Robbie James". The Independent. Retrieved 25 November 2010.