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 pik 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.
• The Times reports that Welsh Secretary Ron Davies wants to drop the Welsh national flag. 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

• Glynd r Award - Iwan Bala
• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Bridgend)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair -
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown -
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Eurig Wyn, Blodyn Tatws
• Wales Book of the Year:
  • English language:
  • Welsh language:

• 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

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

• 2 April - Dai Davies, trade unionist
• 4 April - K te 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 Kinsman Cudlipp, journalist
• 23 July - R. Tudur Jones, theologian and politician, 77
• 3 August - Ronnie Boon, Wales rugby union player, 89
• 12 September - Horace Charles Jones, poet, 92
• 5 October - Megs Jenkins, actress, 81
• 16 December - Kenyon Jones, rugby player, 87
• 31 December - Alan Morris, footballer, 44

References