1998 in Scotland

Events from the year 1998 in Scotland.

Incumbents

 * Secretary of State for Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal – Donald Dewar

Law officers

 * Lord Advocate – Lord Hardie
 * Solicitor General for Scotland – Colin Boyd

Judiciary

 * Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General – Lord Rodger of Earlsferry
 * Lord Justice Clerk – Lord Cullen
 * Chairman of the Scottish Land Court – Lord McGhie

Events

 * 7 March – Outer Hebrides community radio station Isles FM is launched, broadcasting from studios in Stornoway.
 * 31 March – The last Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouse is converted to automatic operation without resident keepers, Fair Isle South.
 * 25 May – Torness Nuclear Power Station commissioned near the town of Dunbar, East Lothian.
 * 31 May – The Sky Scottish satellite television channel closes after eighteen months on air.
 * 10 June – Scotland open the 1998 World Cup, playing champions Brazil in France, though they lose 2-1 after a deflected goal in the seventy-sixth minute.
 * 16 June – Scotland draw 1–1 against Norway in their second game of the World Cup.
 * 23 June – Scotland lose 3–0 to Morocco in their final group stage match of the world Cup, failing to qualify for the next round.
 * August – Edinburgh Modular Arm System, the world's first bionic arm, is fitted.
 * 24 August – The Netherlands is selected as the venue for the trial of the two Libyans who are charged with the Lockerbie aircraft bombing that killed 270 people in December 1988.
 * 5 October – Fife radio station Kingdom FM is launched, broadcasting from studios in Markinch.
 * November – Scottish Socialist Party established.
 * 19 November – The Scotland Act, the legislation to set up a devolved unicameral Scottish Parliament, receives its royal assent.
 * 30 November – new Museum of Scotland opened in Edinburgh.
 * 26 December – great Boxing Day Storm: severe gale force winds hit Ireland, southern Scotland and northern England. Roads, railways and electricity are disrupted.

Births

 * 1 March – Mili Smith, curler
 * 23 May – Ross Cunningham, footballer
 * 19 July – Erin Cuthbert, footballer
 * 22 September – Isis Hainsworth, actress
 * 20 October – Jordan Allan, footballer

Deaths

 * 10 March – Ian Dunn, gay and paedophile rights activist, founder of the Scottish Minorities Group (born 1943)
 * 7 April – James McIntosh Patrick, landscape painter (born 1907)
 * 15 October – Iain Crichton Smith, poet (born 1928)
 * 21 October – Sir Alec Cairncross, economist (born 1911)
 * November – Robin Hall, folk singer (born 1936)
 * 8 November – Rumer Godden, novelist (born 1907 in England)

The arts

 * Martyn Bennett's Celtic fusion album Bothy Culture is released.
 * Kevin MacNeil's poetry collection Love and Zen in the Outer Hebrides is published in Edinburgh.
 * The BBC Scotland television drama Looking After Jo Jo, starring Robert Carlyle, is screened.