Puneet Varma (Editor)

1999 in Wales

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Centuries:
  
18th19th20th21st

Decades:
  
1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s

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

Contents

Incumbents

  • Prince of Wales – Charles
  • Princess of Wales – vacant
  • 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 - First elections to the National Assembly for Wales.
  • 10 May - The Queen attends a gala concert in Cardiff Bay to celebrate the opening of the Welsh Assembly.
  • 25 May - Last pit pony works in the South Wales coalfield, 'Robbie' at Pant y Gasseg, Pontypool.
  • June
  • The Clydach murders: four members of the same family are found bludgeoned to death.
  • Eight children in north Wales are taken ill with E. coli poisoning.
  • 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 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 written by his wife Mary.
  • Kyffin Williams is knighted for his services to the arts.
  • 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

  • Richard Booth - My Kingdom of Books
  • Greg Cullen - Paul Robeson Knew My Father (play)
  • Grahame Davies - Sefyll yn y Bwlch
  • Paul Ferris - Infidelity
  • Patrick Hannan - The Welsh Illusion
  • Craig Thomas - Slipping into Shadow

    • 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

  • The Rugby Union World Cup is hosted by Wales, with the final being held at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on 6 November. Australia are the winning team.
  • 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.

    • 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
  • 11 April - Alan Evans, darts player, 49
  • 6 May - Johnny Morris, television presenter, 82
  • 11 May - Robert Thomas, sculptor, 72
  • 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

    • References

    1999 in Wales Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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