# 1999 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1999 to Wales and its people.

## Incumbents

* First Secretary – Alun Michael (from 12 May)
* Secretary of State for Wales
** Alun Michael (until 28 July)
** Paul Murphy
* Archbishop of Wales
** Alwyn Rice Jones, Bishop of St Asaph (retired)
** Rowan Williams, Bishop of Monmouth (elected)
* Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
** Dafydd Rowlands (outgoing)
** Meirion Evans (incoming)

## Events

* January
** Protesting farmers blockade the north Wales headquarters of supermarket chain Iceland.
** Opening of the St David's Hotel in Cardiff Bay, Wales's first 5-star hotel.
* February – Outbreak of meningitis in the Pontypridd area.
* March – West Wales and the Valleys is designated an Objective 1 region within the European Community.
* 6 May – 1999 National Assembly for Wales election, the first to be held.
* 10 May – The Queen attends a gala concert in Cardiff Bay to celebrate the opening of the Welsh Assembly.
* 12 May – The National Assembly for Wales meets in Cardiff for its first session.
* 19 May – 'Robbie', probably the last pit pony to work in the U.K. is retired at Pant y Gasseg drift mine, near Pontypool in the South Wales coalfield.
* June – Eight children in north Wales are taken ill with E. coli poisoning.
* 27 June – The Clydach murders: four members of the same family are found bludgeoned to death.
* July – Bryncelyn Brewery begins brewing.
* December – Hyder cuts 1000 jobs after being forced to make cuts in their charges for electricity and water.
* 19 December – Charlotte Church makes her debut as a television actress in Heartbeat.
* Main construction work on Cardiff Bay Barrage completed.

## Arts and literature

* Cysgod y Cryman by Islwyn Ffowc Elis (1953) is voted the most significant Welsh language book of the 20th century.
* Sir Harry Secombe suffers a second stroke, which forces him to give up his television career.
* Mary Hopkin joins The Chieftains on their UK tour.
* Dick Francis: A Racing Life, an unauthorised biography, suggests that his books were substantially written by his wife Mary.
* Painter Kyffin Williams is knighted for his services to the arts.
* September – Swansea Grand Theatre becomes the base for the Ballet Russe company.

### Awards

* Cardiff Singer of the World – Anja Harteros
* Glyndŵr Award – Gillian Clarke
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Gwenallt Lloyd Ifan
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Ifor ap Glyn
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Sonia Edwards
* Wales Book of the Year:
** English language: Emyr Humphreys – The Gift of a Daughter
** Welsh language: R. M. Jones – Ysbryd y Cwlwm: Delwedd y Genedl yn ein Llenyddiaeth
* Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen – Ann Pierce Jones – Fflamio

### New books
#### English language

* Richard Booth – My Kingdom of Books
* John Davies – The Making of Wales
* Paul Ferris – Infidelity
* Patrick Hannan – The Welsh Illusion
* Craig Thomas – Slipping into Shadow

#### Welsh language

* Grahame Davies – Sefyll yn y Bwlch
* Mair Wynn Hughes – Hen Ŵr y Môr

### New drama

* Greg Cullen – Paul Robeson Knew My Father (play)

### Music

* Gillian Elisa – Haul ar Nos Hir (album)
* Gorky's Zygotic Mynci – Spanish Dance Troupe (album)
* Karl Jenkins – The Armed Man: a Mass for Peace

## Film

* Catherine Zeta-Jones co-stars in Entrapment.

### Welsh-language films

* Cymer Dy Siâr
* Porc Pei (Pork Pie)
* Solomon a Gaenor, starring Ioan Gruffudd

## Broadcasting

* May – Huw Edwards begins presenting the BBC Six O'Clock News.

### Welsh-language television

* Y Palmant Aur (drama)
* Yno o hyd (documentary)
* Tri Tenor – Gala concert with performances by Welsh tenors Gwyn Hughes Jones, Rhys Meirion and Timothy Richards
* Catrin Finch (documentary)
* Ponteifi (sitcom)

### English-language television

* Sea of Troubles (documentary)
* House of the Future (documentary by Malcolm Parry)
* Barry Welsh is Coming (winner of the BAFTA Wales Award for Light Entertainment)
* Belonging (BBC Wales)
* The Big Picture (presented by Peter Lord)

## Sport

* BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Colin Jackson
* Football
** UWIC Inter Cardiff are Welsh Cup winners after beating Carmarthen Town on penalties.
** Barry Town win their fourth successive League of Wales title.
** Winners of the three divisions in the Welsh Football League are: Ton Pentre (Division 1), Penrhiwceiber Rangers (Division 2) & Caerleon (Division 3).
** Flexsys Cefn Druids are champions of the Cymru Alliance.
** AFC Llwydcoed and Garden Village are promoted to the Welsh Football League.
* Rugby
** The Rugby Union World Cup is hosted by Wales, with the final being held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, on 6 November. The winning team is Australia.
* Snooker
** Mark Williams wins the Welsh Open tournament in Cardiff.
** Mark Williams wins the UK Championship for the first time, defeating Matthew Stevens in an all-Welsh final.

## Births

* 12 January – Tyler Roberts, footballer
* 29 April – Callum Scott Howells, actor and singer
* 23 June – Cai Evans, rugby player
* 15 October – Ben Woodburn, footballer

## Deaths

* 3 February (in London) – Alfred Janes, artist, 87
* 8 February – Meredith Edwards, actor, 81
* 16 February – Don Hayward, Wales and British Lions international rugby player, 73
* 17 February – John Lansdown, computer graphics pioneer, 70
* 4 April – Raymond Davies Hughes, RAF airman and broadcaster, 75
* 11 April – Alan Evans, darts player, 49
* 6 May – Johnny Morris, television presenter, 82
* 11 May – Robert Thomas, sculptor, 72
* 12 July – Guy Griffiths, pilot, 84
* 16 July – Barri Jones, classical scholar and archaeologist, 63
* 5 September – Ivor Roberts, former TWW presenter, 74
* 22 September – Clive Jenkins, trade union leader, 73
* 24 October – Howard Griffiths, screenwriter, 64
* 15 November – Sir Harry Llewellyn, equestrian champion, 88
* 27 November – Ernest Zobole, artist, 72
* 6 December – Gwyn Jones, writer, 92
* 19 December – Desmond Llewelyn, actor, 85 (car accident)
* 23 December – Eirene White, politician, 90