1995 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1995 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

 * Secretary of State for Wales – John Redwood (until 26 June); David Hunt (Acting); William Hague (from 5 July)
 * Archbishop of Wales – Alwyn Rice Jones, Bishop of St Asaph
 * Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – John Gwilym Jones

Events

 * 3 January – Tower Colliery re-opens under the ownership of the workforce buyout company Goitre Tower Anthracite.
 * 1 February – Richey Edwards of the Manic Street Preachers disappears.
 * 16 February - In the Islwyn by-election brought about by the resignation of Neil Kinnock, Don Touhig is elected as Labour MP for the constituency.
 * April – TBI plc purchases Cardiff-Wales Airport from Glamorgan County Council.
 * 20 July – Swansea-born Michael Heseltine becomes Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, an office last held by Geoffrey Howe.
 * 30 July – Police in North Wales launch a murder inquiry after the body of seven-year-old Sophie Hook (who had gone missing from a nearby house during the night) is found on a beach near Llandudno by a man walking his dog.
 * 6 August - Howard Hughes, a 30-year-old Colwyn Bay man, is charged with the murder of Sophie Hook.
 * November - Diver Keith Hurley discovers the wreck of the submarine Resurgam (sunk 1880) off Rhyl.
 * 20 November - The Princess of Wales gives a revealing interview to Martin Bashir for the Panorama current affairs television programme on BBC 1, discussing her personal problems and marriage in candid detail.
 * 20 December – The Queen writes to The Prince and Princess of Wales urging them to divorce as soon as possible.
 * Welsh historian Sir Rees Davies is appointed to the Chichele Chair of Medieval History in the University of Oxford.
 * Historian Glanmor Williams is knighted.

Arts and literature

 * Roger Rees is nominated for a Tony for Best Actor in a Play for his role in Indiscretions.
 * Michael Ball performs in the Les Misérables tenth anniversary concert.
 * Peter Karrie is voted the favourite Phantom of members of The Phantom of the Opera Appreciation Society for the second year in a row.
 * The Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea, is opened by Jimmy Carter.

Awards

 * Glyndŵr Award – Kyffin Williams
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Abergele)
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Tudur Dylan Jones
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Aled Gwyn
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Angharad Jones for Y Dylluan Wen
 * Wales Book of the Year:
 * English language: Duncan Bush, Masks
 * Welsh language: Aled Islwyn, Unigolion, Unigeddau
 * Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen – Beryl Stafford Williams

New books

 * Roger Boore – Y Bachgen Gwyllt
 * Robin Llywelyn – Y Dwr Mawr Llwyd
 * R. S. Thomas – No Truce with the Furies
 * Aled Rhys Wiliam – Cywain

English-language films

 * The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, with Kenneth Griffith
 * Restoration is partly filmed at Caerphilly Castle.

Music

 * Robin Huw Bowen – Harp Music of Wales (Cerddoriaeth Telyn Cymru)
 * Carreg Lafar – Ysbryd y Werin
 * Dafydd Iwan – Cân Celt
 * Super Furry Animals – Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyndrobwllantysiliogogogochynygofod (in space) (E.P.)
 * Triskedekaphilia (compilation album)

Broadcasting

 * 30 September – 96.4 FM The Wave goes on air for the first time.

Welsh-language television

 * A55, starring Iwan "Iwcs" Roberts
 * Rownd a Rownd, a youth-oriented soap opera set and filmed around Menai Bridge, launches on S4C

English-language television

 * John Rhys-Davies takes the lead in the new US drama series, Sliders.
 * Somebody's Son (prizewinning documentary made for BBC2 and BBC Wales by Raw Charm).

Sport

 * BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Neville Southall
 * Rugby Union
 * 4 June – A narrow defeat by Ireland results in Wales being eliminated from the Rugby World Cup competition after only three matches.

Births

 * 5 January – Tom John, footballer
 * 13 February – Leona Vaughan, actress
 * 30 June – Declan John, footballer
 * 4 July – Amy Hill, cyclist
 * 9 October – Jasmine Joyce, rugby player
 * 12 October – Jordan Howe, Paralympic athlete
 * 30 November – Seb Morris, racing driver

Deaths

 * 28 January – Philip Burton, theatre director and radio producer, 90
 * 2 February - Raymond Bark-Jones, English-born Wales international rugby union player, 83
 * 4 February - David Alexander, singer, 56
 * 8 February – Don Devereux, dual-code rugby player, 62
 * 8 February – Rachel Thomas, actress, 89
 * 11 March – Myfanwy Talog, actress, 50
 * 28 March - Julian Cayo-Evans, political activist, 57
 * 10 April – Glyn Jones, poet, author and academic, 90
 * 12 April – Cyril Sidlow, footballer, 89
 * 21 April – Tessie O'Shea, entertainer, 82
 * 21 June – Tristan Jones, sailor, 66
 * 24 June – Len Blyth, Wales international rugby player, 74
 * 25 September – Dave Bowen, footballer, 67
 * 26 September – Lynette Roberts, poet, 86
 * 5 December – Charles Evans, doctor and mountaineer, 77