# 1998 in Wales

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

## Incumbents

* 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

* 24 February – 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.
* 6 March – Flintshire Bridge is officially opened.
* 8–9 April – Torrential rain over eastern Wales results in widespread flooding.
* 13 April – Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Öpik is seriously injured in a paragliding accident in his constituency.
* May – Cistercian Way long-distance trail originates.
* June – The Arts Council of Wales publishes its consultation paper Building A Creative Society.
* 31 July – The Government of Wales Act 1998, that will establish a devolved Welsh Assembly, receives its Royal Assent.
* August – Ron Davies is appointed to the highest order of the Gorsedd of the Bards at the 1998 National Eisteddfod in Bridgend.
* 19 September – Ron Davies is elected in preference to Rhodri Morgan as Labour's candidate for First Secretary of the Assembly.
* 22–31 October – 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.
* 27 October – 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".
* 18 November – 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.
* November – Maenofferen slate quarry at Blaenau Ffestiniog ceases production.

## 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, "Rhyddid"
* 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
#### English language

* 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

#### Welsh language

* Dafydd Huws – Dyddiadur Dyn Dŵad
* Huw Ethall – Pennar Davies: Y Dyn a'i Waith

## 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

* Indie music band Terris are formed in Newport.
* 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

* November – A new digital channel is launched, broadcasting in Welsh for twelve hours a day.

### English-language television
## Sport

* BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Iwan Thomas
* Commonwealth Games – September
** 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.
* Snooker
** 8 February – Mark Williams wins his first Masters title.

## Births

* 12 March – Will Jones, rugby player
* 5 June – Dafydd Jones, footballer
* 18 December – Cameron Coxe, footballer
* 25 December – Will Griffiths, rugby player
* 29 December – Mark Harris, footballer

## Deaths

* 3 January – Tony Duncan, golfer and cricketer, 83
* 18 February – Robbie James, footballer, 40 (collapsed and died during match)
* 1 April – Mary Wynne Warner, mathematician, 65
* 2 April – Dai Davies, trade unionist, 88
* 4 April – Käte Bosse-Griffiths, author, 87
* 14 April – Dorothy Squires, singer, 83
* 11 May – Vronwy Hankey (née Fisher), archaeologist, 81
* 13 May – Arthur Rees, Wales international rugby player and police Chief Constable, 85
* 17 May – Hugh Cudlipp, journalist, 84
* 5 July – James Eirian Davies, minister and poet, 80
* 23 July – R. Tudur Jones, theologian and politician, 77
* 28 July – Nancy Evans, table tennis player, 95
* 3 August (in Waipukurau, New Zealand) – Ronnie Boon, Wales rugby union player, 89
* 12 September – Horace Charles Jones, poet, 92
* 5 October – Megs Jenkins, actress, 81
* 31 October – Eddie Perry, footballer, 89
* 16 December – Kenyon Jones, rugby player, 87
* 16 December – Tommy Davies, boxer, 78
* 31 December – Alan Morris, footballer, 44