# 1991 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1991 to Wales and its people.

## Incumbents

* Secretary of State for Wales – David Hunt
* Archbishop of Wales
** George Noakes, Bishop of St David's (retired)
** Alwyn Rice Jones, Bishop of St Asaph
* Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Ap Llysor

## Events

* 6 January - A Maltese tanker, the Kimya, capsizes off the Anglesey coast. Ten crew members are drowned, and the ship's cargo of sunflower oil causes marine pollution.
* January - Two Welsh soldiers are among those killed in the first Gulf War.
* 4 April - Peter Hain is elected as MP for Neath in a by-election caused by the death of the sitting MP, Donald Coleman.
* 16 May - Huw Edwards is elected as MP for Monmouth in a by-election caused by the death of the sitting MP, Sir John Stradling Thomas.
* 23 May - A memorial to Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd is dedicated at Kidwelly Castle.
* 19 July - Dean Saunders, 27-year-old Welsh international striker, becomes the most expensive player to be signed by a British club when a £2.9million fee takes him from Derby County to Liverpool, who have broken the record fee in British football for the third time in four years.
* 31 August–3 September - Cardiff Ely Bread Riots: A dispute between two shopkeepers escalates into four consecutive nights of rioting in the Ely district of Cardiff.
* 16 October - Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs, who turns 18 at the end of the following month, becomes the youngest full international for the Welsh national team against Germany in Nuremberg.
* 21 October - Welshman Eric Jones is one of a team of four who make the first hot-air balloon flight over Mount Everest.
* 25 October - Official opening of Conwy Crossing (immersed tube tunnel) to road traffic as part of A55 Conwy Bypass.
* 8 November - Penallta Colliery closes.
* date unknown - The Welsh Office proposes an M4 relief road between Magor and Castleton.

## Arts and literature

* August - Simultaneous translation facilities are made available for the first time at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.
* 1 September - Cantorion Colin Jones is founded in Wrexham.
* The first Pacific Northwest Welsh Weekend is held at Seattle.
* Wyn Calvin becomes the first Welshman to be elected King Rat of the Order of Water Rats.

### Awards

* National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Mold, with record attendance of 164,100)
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Robin Llwyd ab Owain, "Merch Ein Amserau" (The Girl of Our Times)
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Einir Jones, "Pelydrau"
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Angharad Tomos, Si Hei Lwli
* Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen - withheld

### New books
#### English language

* A Cardiff Anthology
* Phil Rickman - Candlenight

#### Welsh language

* Robat Arwyn & Robin Llwyd ab Owain - Gwin Beaujolais
* Pennar Davies - Gwas y Gwaredwr
* Glyn Tegai Hughes - Daniel Owen a Natur y Nofel
* Saunders Lewis - Williams Pantycelyn (new ed.)
* Prys Morgan - Brad y Llyfrau Gleision

### Music

* Datblygu - Blwch Tymer Tymor
* Y Cyrff - Llawenydd Heb Ddiwedd (album)
* Bonnie Tyler - Bitterblue (album)

## Film
### Welsh-language films

* Elenya
* Un Nos Ola Leuad

## Broadcasting
### English-language television

* Joshua Jones (children's programme made by S4C)
* Catherine Zeta-Jones makes her first appearance in The Darling Buds of May.

### Welsh-language television

* Gemau Heb Ffiniau

## Sport

* BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Ian Woosnam
* Football
** 5 June - Wales defeat Germany in the UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying tournament.
* Golf - Ian Woosnam wins the US Masters at Augusta, Georgia, becoming the first Welshman to win a major tournament.
* Rugby union - Neil Jenkins plays his first rugby match for Wales, at the age of 19.

## Births

* 21 January - Craig Roberts, actor
* 28 January - Ffion Bowen, rugby union winger
* 3 February - Adrian Quaife-Hobbs, racing driver
* 4 February - Fred Evans, boxer
* 28 March - David Cornell, footballer
* 12 April - Ashley Jazz Richards, footballer
* 24 May - Aled Davies, paralympian field athlete (throwing events)
* 5 July - Michael White, snooker player
* 10 August - Amy Dowden, dancer
* 23 August - Laura O'Sullivan, footballer (goalkeeper)
* 3 October - Jenny McLoughlin, athlete
* 20 October - Nathaniel Jarvis, footballer
* 29 November - Becky James, track racing cyclist

## Deaths

* 14 January - Donald Coleman, politician, 65
* 30 January - Rhys Lloyd, Baron Lloyd of Kilgerran, politician, 83
* 10 February - Rowe Harding, rugby player, 89
* 19 February - Tom Rees, Wales international rugby player, 77
* 18 March - Robert Roland Hughes, neurologist, 79/80
* 24 March - Maudie Edwards, actress and singer, 84
* 29 March - John Stradling Thomas, politician, 65
* July - Evan Roberts, conservationist
* 12 August - Edward George Bowen, CBE, physicist, 80
* 23 August - Innes Lloyd, TV producer, 66
* 26 August - John Petts, artist, 77
* 31 August - Idwal Rees, Wales rugby union captain, 81
* October - Seymour Morris, footballer, 78
* 13 October - Donald Houston, actor, 67
* 5 November - Gwenlyn Parry, dramatist, 59
* 15 December - Ray Smith, actor, 55
* 22 December - Jim Lang, Wales rugby union player, 82