1991 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1991 to Wales
and its people
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and its people
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
.
Incumbents
- Prince of WalesPrince of WalesPrince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
- Charles, Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay... - Princess of WalesPrincess of WalesPrincess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of The Prince of Wales since the first "English" Prince of Wales in 1283.Although there have been considerably more than ten male heirs to the throne, there have been only ten Princesses of Wales. The majority of Princes of Wales...
- Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century... - Secretary of State for WalesSecretary of State for WalesThe Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
- David Hunt - Archbishop of WalesArchbishop of WalesThe post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England , and disestablished...
- Alwyn Rice JonesAlwyn Rice JonesAlwyn Rice Jones was Bishop of St Asaph from 1982 to 1999 and also Archbishop of Wales, the Welsh province of the Anglican Communion, from 1991 to 1999... - ArchdruidArchdruidThe Archdruid is the title used by the presiding official of the Gorsedd.The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, The Award of the Prose Medal and Chairing of the Bard. From 1932 only former winners of the...
of the National Eisteddfod of WalesNational Eisteddfod of WalesThe National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
- Ap Llysor
Events
- 6 January - A Maltese tanker, the Kimya, capsizes off the Anglesey coast. Ten crew members are drowned.
- 4 April - Peter HainPeter HainPeter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
elected as MP for NeathNeath (UK Parliament constituency)Neath is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election and one Assembly Member by the first past the post system of election.- The Constituency of Neath :The constituency...
in a by-electionNeath by-election, 1991The Neath by-election, 1991 was a by-election held on 4 April 1991 for the British House of Commons constituency of Neath in Wales. It was won by the Labour Party candidate Peter Hain.- Vacancy :...
caused by the death of the sitting MP. - 16 May - Huw EdwardsHuw Edwards (politician)Huw William Edmund Edwards is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Monmouth over two separate terms....
elected as MP for MonmouthMonmouth (UK Parliament constituency)Monmouth is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post of election...
in a by-electionMonmouth by-election, 1991The Monmouth by-election, 1991 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Monmouth in Wales on 16 May 1991. It was won by the Labour Party candidate Huw Edwards.- Vacancy :...
caused by the death of the sitting MP - 19 July - Dean SaundersDean SaundersDean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
, 27-year-old Welsh internationalWales national football teamThe Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
striker, becomes the most expensive player to be signed by a British club when a £2.9million fee takes him from Derby CountyDerby County F.C.Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
to LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, who have broken the record fee in British football for the third time in four years. - August-September - Cardiff Ely Bread Riots: A dispute between two shopkeepers escalates into four consecutive nights of rioting in the Ely district of Cardiff.
- 25 October - Official opening of ConwyRiver ConwyThe River Conwy is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is a little over long. "Conwy" is sometimes Anglicized as "Conway."...
Crossing (immersed tube tunnel) to road traffic as part of A55 Conwy Bypass. - Welshman Eric JonesEric JonesEric Jones is a former part-time NASCAR driver. He ran in the Busch Series and had some of his best success in the Craftsman Truck Series. He won one NASCAR Midwest Series before moving up to major NASCAR.-Busch Series:...
was one of a team of four who made the first hot-air balloon flight over Mount EverestMount EverestMount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
. - Two Welsh soldiers are among those killed in the first Gulf WarGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
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Arts and literature
- Simultaneous translation facilities are made available for the first time at the National Eisteddfod of WalesNational Eisteddfod of WalesThe National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
. - The first Pacific Northwest Welsh Weekend is held at Seattle.
- Wyn CalvinWyn CalvinWyn Calvin, MBE OStJ , sometimes called the "Clown Prince of Wales" and "The Welsh Prince of Laughter", is a veteran Welsh comedian and entertainer....
becomes the first Welshman to be elected King Rat of the Order of Water Rats. - Cantorion Colin JonesCantorion Colin JonesCantorion Colin Jones is a Welsh male concert choir. The choir was founded by Colin Jones on 1 September 1991, and composed of singers whom he had taught and conducted previously in choirs across North Wales....
is founded in Wrexham.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in MoldMold, FlintshireMold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
, with record attendance of 164,100) - National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Robin Llwyd ab OwainRobin Llwyd ab OwainRobin Llwyd ab Owain is an author and national award winning poet. He won the chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1991 at Mold for a poem titled "The Girl of Our Times". The poem was described by one of the adjudicators as cutting new ground...
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Einir Jones
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Angharad TomosAngharad TomosAngharad Tomos is a Welsh author and prominent language activist.-Biography:Tomos was born in Bangor, Gwynedd, in 1958, and raised with her five sisters in Llanwnda near Caernarfon. She attended Ysgol Gynradd Bontnewydd and Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle...
, Si Hei Lwli - Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen -
Music
- DatblyguDatblyguDatblygu was an experimental Welsh rock group in the 1980s and early to mid-1990s, now regarded as a catalyst of the new wave of Welsh rock in the early '80s.-History:...
- Blwch Tymer Tymor - Y CyrffY CyrffY Cyrff were a popular Welsh language indie band in the 1980s. They came from Llanrwst, Conwy, and their line-up included Mark Roberts , Barry Cawley , Paul Jones and Dylan Hughes . Dylan left to join Welsh punks Yr Anhrefn and Mark Kendall took Dylan's place...
- Llawenydd Heb Ddiwedd (album) - Bonnie TylerBonnie TylerBonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
- Bitterblue (album)
English-language television
- Joshua Jones (children's programme made by S4CS4CS4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
) - Catherine Zeta-JonesCatherine Zeta-JonesCatherine Zeta-Jones, CBE, is a British actress. She began her career on stage at an early age. After starring in a number of United Kingdom and United States television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as the 1998 action film The Mask of...
makes her first appearance in The Darling Buds of MayThe Darling Buds of MayThe Darling Buds of May is a British comedy drama which was first broadcast between 1991 and 1993 produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV Network. It is set in an idyllic rural 1950s Kent, among a large, boisterous family. The three series were based on the novels by H. E. Bates. Originally...
.
Sport
- FootballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
- 5 June - WalesWales national football teamThe Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
defeat GermanyGermany national football teamThe Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in the UEFA Euro 1992UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying Group 5Standings and results for Group 5 of the UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying tournament.Group 5 was played as four team group consisting of Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and Wales....
qualifying tournament.
- 5 June - Wales
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- Ian WoosnamIan WoosnamIan Harold Woosnam OBE is a Welsh professional golfer.Nicknamed 'Woosie', 'Woosers', or the 'Wee Welshman', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe competitive in the Ryder Cup...
wins the US Masters at Augusta, GeorgiaAugusta, GeorgiaAugusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
, becoming the first Welshman to win a major tournament. - Rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
- Neil JenkinsNeil JenkinsNeil Jenkins MBE is a former rugby union football player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British and Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever points-scorer and is the third highest on the List of leading Rugby...
plays his first rugby match for Wales, at the age of 19.
Births
- 21 January - Craig RobertsCraig RobertsCraig Roberts is a Welsh actor. He is best known for playing the lead role of Oliver Tate in the coming-of-age comedy-drama film Submarine, and for playing the character Rio in The Story of Tracy Beaker.-Life and Career:...
, actor - 28 March - David CornellDavid CornellDavid Joseph Cornell is a Welsh football goalkeeper currently playing for Hereford United on loan from Premier League side Swansea City. He is also a Wales under-21 international.-Club career:...
, footballer - 12 April - Ashley RichardsAshley RichardsAshley Darel Jazz Richards is a Welsh professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder for Swansea City.-Club career:Richards made his professional debut for Swansea City in a Championship match against Middlesbrough in the 3–0 loss on 15 August 2009, replacing Shaun MacDonald as a substitute in...
, footballer - 20 October - Nathaniel JarvisNathaniel JarvisNathaniel Stephen Jarvis is a Welsh professional footballer who currently plays for Football League Championship side Cardiff City.-Early life:...
, footballer - 29 November - Becky JamesRebecca James (cyclist)Rebecca Angharad James also known as Becky James is a Welsh professional racing cyclist specializing in track cycling from Abergavenny, Wales, who currently rides for the . James was spotted by the Welsh Talent Team, she is now a member of British Cycling's Olympic Development Programme.-Early...
, cyclist
Deaths
- 14 January - Donald ColemanDonald ColemanDonald Richard Coleman, CBE, JP, DL was the Labour Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom for Neath from 1964 until his death in 1991....
, politician, 65 - 19 February - Tom ReesTom Rees (rugby player born 1913)Thomas Rees was a Welsh international rugby union prop who played club rugby for Newport RFC. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1935 touring All Blacks.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby player, 77 - 24 March - Maudie EdwardsMaudie EdwardsMaudie Edwards was a Welsh actress and singer, now best remembered as a member of the original cast of Coronation Street....
, actress and singer, 84 - 29 March - John Stradling ThomasJohn Stradling ThomasSir John Stradling Thomas was a Welsh Conservative Party politician.Thomas was educated at Rugby School and the University of London. He served as a councillor on Carmarthen Borough Council 1961-64. He was a farmer, company director and broadcaster.Thomas contested Aberavon in 1964 and...
, politician, 65 - 15 May - Ronald LaceyRonald LaceyRonald Lacey was an English actor. He made numerous television and film appearances over a 30 year period and is perhaps best remembered for his villainous roles in Hollywood films, most famously Major Arnold Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark.-Career:Lacey attended Harrow Weald Grammar School and...
, English actor of Welsh descent, 55 - 12 August - Edward George BowenEdward George BowenEdward George 'Taffy' Bowen, CBE, FRS was a British physicist who made a major contribution to the development of radar, and so helped win both the Battle of Britain and the Battle of the Atlantic...
, CBE, physicist, 80 - 23 August - Innes LloydInnes LloydInnes Lloyd was a British television producer of BBC drama producers.-Doctor Who:...
, TV producer, 66 - 31 August - Idwal ReesIdwal ReesIdwal Rees was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Swansea and Cambridge University.-Rugby career:Rees first played rugby for Swansea Grammar School, but when he graduated to Swansea University at the age of 17, he gave up rugby as he believed he was too light to play...
, Wales rugby union captain, 81 - 13 October - Donald HoustonDonald HoustonDonald Daniel Houston was a Welsh actor whose first two films – The Blue Lagoon with Jean Simmons, and A Run for Your Money with Sir Alec Guinness – were highly successful...
, actor, 67 - 22 December - Jim LangJim Lang (rugby player)Jim Lang was a Welsh international rugby union number 8 who played club rugby for Llanelli and Swansea. Whilst with Llanelli he faced two touring Southern Hemisphere teams, the South Africans in 1931 and New Zealand in 1935.-Rugby career:...
, Wales rugby union player, 82 - date unknown
- Robert Roland HughesRobert Roland HughesRobert Roland Hughes MB ChB MD FRCP was a British neurologist and pioneer of Electroencephalography and neurology. He studied medicine at Liverpool University and spent the bulk of his life as a consultant in the Liverpool and North Wales area, particularly in the Liverpool Royal Infirmary.Hughes...
, neurologist - Evan RobertsEvan Roberts (botanist)Evan Roberts MBE, M.Sc., .Evan Roberts was an internationally known and recognised botanist who lived and worked all his life in Capel Curig , in Snowdonia, Gwynedd, North Wales....
, conservationist - John Petts, artist
- Robert Roland Hughes