1999 in Wales

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

Incumbents

 * 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 – 1999 National Assembly for Wales election, the first to be held.
 * 10 May – The Queen attends a gala concert in Cardiff Bay to celebrate the opening of the Welsh Assembly.
 * 12 May – The National Assembly for Wales meets in Cardiff for its first session.
 * 19 May – 'Robbie', probably the last pit pony to work in the U.K. is retired at Pant y Gasseg drift mine, near Pontypool in the South Wales coalfield.
 * June – Eight children in north Wales are taken ill with E. coli poisoning.
 * 27 June – The Clydach murders: four members of the same family are found bludgeoned to death.
 * 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 (1953) 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 substantially written by his wife Mary.
 * Painter Kyffin Williams is knighted for his services to the arts.
 * September – 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

English language

 * Richard Booth – My Kingdom of Books
 * John Davies – The Making of Wales
 * Paul Ferris – Infidelity
 * Patrick Hannan – The Welsh Illusion
 * Craig Thomas – Slipping into Shadow

Welsh language

 * Grahame Davies – Sefyll yn y Bwlch
 * Mair Wynn Hughes – Hen Ŵr y Môr

New drama

 * Greg Cullen – Paul Robeson Knew My Father (play)

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

 * BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Colin Jackson
 * Football
 * 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.
 * Rugby
 * The Rugby Union World Cup is hosted by Wales, with the final being held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, on 6 November. The winning team is Australia.
 * Snooker
 * Mark Williams wins the Welsh Open tournament in Cardiff.
 * Mark Williams wins the UK Championship for the first time, defeating Matthew Stevens in an all-Welsh final.

Births

 * 12 January – Tyler Roberts, footballer
 * 29 April – Callum Scott Howells, actor and singer
 * 23 June – Cai Evans, rugby player
 * 15 October – Ben Woodburn, footballer

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
 * 4 April – Raymond Davies Hughes, RAF airman and broadcaster, 75
 * 11 April – Alan Evans, darts player, 49
 * 6 May – Johnny Morris, television presenter, 82
 * 11 May – Robert Thomas, sculptor, 72
 * 12 July – Guy Griffiths, pilot, 84
 * 16 July – Barri Jones, classical scholar and archaeologist, 63
 * 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