1987 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1987 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

 * Secretary of State for Wales – Nicholas Edwards (until 13 June); Peter Walker
 * Archbishop of Wales – George Noakes, Bishop of St David's (elected)
 * Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
 * Elerydd (outgoing)
 * Emrys Deudraeth (incoming)

Events

 * 12 January - The lowest daytime maximum temperature ever recorded in Wales (-8.0 °C) is recorded at Trecastle, Powys.
 * 12 February - The Roman Catholic Church in Wales creates a new Diocese of Wrexham and moves the Diocese of Menevia to Swansea.
 * 5 March - The High Court declares Dorothy Squires a vexatious litigant.
 * 15 March - Roy Jenkins is elected Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
 * 14 April - Oakwood Leisure Park opens near Narberth, Pembrokeshire.
 * 7 May - District council elections take place across Wales (and England). The Conservatives lose control of Cardiff City Council.
 * 24 May - Neil Kinnock is interviewed by David Frost about Labour's defence policy and plans for government.
 * 28 May - The Mametz Wood Memorial, sculpted by David Petersen, is unveiled in Cardiff.
 * 11 June - In the general election
 * Plaid Cymru's Ieuan Wyn Jones wins the seat of Ynys Môn from the Conservatives. Plaid retain their other two parliamentary seats.
 * Alun Michael replaces James Callaghan as MP for Cardiff South.
 * Labour's Paul Flynn wins back Newport West from the Conservatives.
 * 11 July - The Mametz Wood Memorial is dedicated at the site of the Royal Welch Fusiliers battle of 1916 in France.
 * 5 October - Keith Best, former Conservative MP for Ynys Môn, having been sentenced to four months' imprisonment for share-dealing activities, has his sentence quashed by the Court of Appeal after serving five days.
 * 19 October - Four people are killed in the Glanrhyd Bridge collapse, when a train falls into the swollen River Tywi, as a result of the flooding that affects many parts of Wales.
 * 20 November - Roy Jenkins becomes Baron Jenkins of Hillhead.
 * 22 November - The Welsh language is used within the Vatican for the first time on an official occasion, as part of a beatification ceremony for three Welsh martyrs.
 * date unknown
 * Creation of the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation.
 * Chris Loyn establishes the architectural practice Loyn & Co in Penarth.
 * The National Trust buys Dinefwr Park in Llandeilo, including the deer park.

Arts and literature

 * Jim Burns becomes the first non-American to win the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist.

Awards

 * National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Porthmadog)
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Ieuan Wyn
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - John Griffith Jones
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Margiad Williams

English language

 * Dannie Abse - Ask the Bloody Horse
 * Rees Davies - Wales: The Age Of Conquest, 1063-1415
 * Stephen Gregory - The Cormorant
 * Douglas Houston - With the Offal Eaters
 * J. Beverley Smith - Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
 * Frances Thomas - Seeing Things
 * Peter Thomas - Strangers from a Secret Land
 * R. S. Thomas - Welsh Airs

Welsh language

 * Euros Bowen - Oes y Medwsa
 * T. Glynne Davies - Cerddi
 * Dafydd Glyn Jones - Drych yr Amseroedd
 * Nesta Wyn Jones - Rhwng Chwerthin a Chrio
 * Alan Llwyd - Barddoniaeth y Chwedegau
 * Gwylon Phillips - Llofruddiaeth Shadrach Lewis
 * Rhydwen Williams - Amser i Wylo

Music

 * 3 December - Indian classical musician Ram Narayan records his album Rag Lalit at Wyastone Leys near Monmouth.
 * MusicFest Aberystwyth is founded by cellist Nicholas Jones.
 * The Alarm - Eye Of The Hurricane (album)
 * Anrhefn - Defaid Skateboard a Wellies
 * Y Cyrff - Y Testament Newydd (EP)
 * Frank Hennessy - Thoughts and Memories (album)
 * Karl Wallinger - Private Revolution (album)

Film

 * Timothy Dalton makes his debut as James Bond in The Living Daylights.
 * On the Black Hill, adapted from the novel by Bruce Chatwin and set in Wales, stars Bob Peck, Gemma Jones and Mike Gwilym.

English-language radio

 * John Humphrys becomes a regular presenter on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Welsh-language television

 * Ioan Gruffudd joins the cast of Pobol y Cwm.

Sport

 * BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year - Ian Woosnam.
 * Golf - David Llewellyn and Ian Woosnam win golf's World Cup in Hawaii.
 * Rugby union
 * Wales finish 4th in the 1987 Five Nations Championship with just a single win, over England.
 * Wales finish third, their best ever position, in the first Rugby World Cup.
 * 5 April - Pontypool Park hosts the first international for the Wales women's national rugby union team who lose 22–4 to England.
 * Skiing - Dry ski slope opened on the Great Orme at Llandudno.

Births

 * 9 January - Bradley Davies, rugby union player
 * 21 January - Joe Ledley, footballer
 * 24 January - Wayne Hennessey, footballer
 * 14 February - Lee Selby, World champion boxer
 * 24 March - Rob Davies, footballer
 * 27 March - Adam Davies, footballer
 * April - Hannah Stone, harpist
 * 8 May - Aneurin Barnard, actor
 * 23 August - Alexandra Roach, actress
 * 4 September - Mike O'Shea, cricketer
 * 29 September - Claire Williams, athlete
 * 21 October - Steph Davies, cricketer
 * 30 November - Victoria Thornley, Olympic rower

Deaths

 * 5 January - Brinley Williams, Wales dual-code rugby international, 91
 * 21 January - Donald Holroyde Hey, chemist, 83
 * 4 February - Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, writer and broadcaster, 78
 * 7 March - E. D. Jones, librarian, 83
 * 4 April - Richard Ithamar Aaron, philosopher, 85
 * 13 April - Alfred Evans, Labour MP, 73
 * 19 April - Stan Richards, footballer, 70
 * 22 May - Keidrych Rhys, poet and editor
 * 22 June - William Price, footballer, 83
 * 20 August - Dorothy Rees, politician, 89
 * 4 September - Richard Marquand, film director, 49 (stroke)
 * 11 September - Hugh David, television director, 62
 * 25 September - Emlyn Williams, dramatist and actor, 81
 * 5 November - Howard Davies, rugby player, 70
 * date unknown - Clifford Williams, politician, Labour MP for Abertillery 1965–1970