1991 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1991 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Wales – David Hunt^[1]
• Archbishop of Wales
  • George Noakes, Bishop of St David's (retired)^[2]
  • Alwyn Rice Jones, Bishop of St Asaph^[3]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Ap Llysor^[4]

Events

• 6 January - A Maltese tanker, the Kimya, capsizes off the Anglesey coast. Ten crew members are drowned, and the ship's cargo of sunflower oil causes marine pollution.^[5]
• January - Two Welsh soldiers are among those killed in the first Gulf War.
• 4 April - Peter Hain is elected as MP for Neath in a by-election caused by the death of the sitting MP, Donald Coleman.^[6]
• 16 May - Huw Edwards is elected as MP for Monmouth in a by-election caused by the death of the sitting MP, Sir John Stradling Thomas.
• 23 May - A memorial to Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd is dedicated at Kidwelly Castle.^[7]
• 19 July - Dean Saunders, 27-year-old Welsh international striker, becomes the most expensive player to be signed by a British club when a £2.9million fee takes him from Derby County to Liverpool, who have broken the record fee in British football for the third time in four years.^[8]
• 31 August–3 September - Cardiff Ely Bread Riots: A dispute between two shopkeepers escalates into four consecutive nights of rioting in the Ely district of Cardiff.^[9]
• 16 October - Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs, who turns 18 at the end of the following month, becomes the youngest full international for the Welsh national team against Germany in Nuremberg.^[10]
• 21 October - Welshman Eric Jones is one of a team of four who make the first hot-air balloon flight over Mount Everest.^[11]
• 25 October - Official opening of Conwy Crossing (immersed tube tunnel) to road traffic as part of A55 Conwy Bypass.
• 8 November - Penallta Colliery closes.^[12]
• date unknown - The Welsh Office proposes an M4 relief road between Magor and Castleton.^[13]

Arts and literature

• August - Simultaneous translation facilities are made available for the first time at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.
• 1 September - Cantorion Colin Jones is founded in Wrexham.
• The first Pacific Northwest Welsh Weekend is held at Seattle.
• Wyn Calvin becomes the first Welshman to be elected King Rat of the Order of Water Rats.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Mold, with record attendance of 164,100)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Robin Llwyd ab Owain, "Merch Ein Amserau" (The Girl of Our Times)^[14]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Einir Jones, "Pelydrau"^[15]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Angharad Tomos, Si Hei Lwli^[16]
• Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen - withheld^[17]

New books

English language

• A Cardiff Anthology^[18]
• Phil Rickman - Candlenight^[19]

Welsh language

• Robat Arwyn & Robin Llwyd ab Owain - Gwin Beaujolais^[20]
• Pennar Davies - Gwas y Gwaredwr^[21]
• Glyn Tegai Hughes - Daniel Owen a Natur y Nofel^[22]
• Saunders Lewis - Williams Pantycelyn (new ed.)^[23]
• Prys Morgan - Brad y Llyfrau Gleision^[24]

Music

• Datblygu - Blwch Tymer Tymor^[25]
• Y Cyrff - Llawenydd Heb Ddiwedd (album)^[26]
• Bonnie Tyler - Bitterblue (album)^[27]

Film

Welsh-language films

• Elenya
• Un Nos Ola Leuad

Broadcasting

English-language television

• Joshua Jones (children's programme made by S4C)
• Catherine Zeta-Jones makes her first appearance in The Darling Buds of May.

Welsh-language television

• Gemau Heb Ffiniau

Sport

• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Ian Woosnam^[28]
• Football
  • 5 June - Wales defeat Germany in the UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying tournament.
• Golf - Ian Woosnam wins the US Masters at Augusta, Georgia, becoming the first Welshman to win a major tournament.
• Rugby union - Neil Jenkins plays his first rugby match for Wales, at the age of 19.

Births

• 21 January - Craig Roberts, actor
• 28 January - Ffion Bowen, rugby union winger
• 3 February - Adrian Quaife-Hobbs, racing driver
• 4 February - Fred Evans, boxer
• 28 March - David Cornell, footballer
• 12 April - Ashley Jazz Richards, footballer^[29]
• 24 May - Aled Davies, paralympian field athlete (throwing events)
• 5 July - Michael White, snooker player
• 10 August - Amy Dowden, dancer^[30]
• 23 August - Laura O'Sullivan, footballer (goalkeeper)
• 3 October - Jenny McLoughlin, athlete
• 20 October - Nathaniel Jarvis, footballer
• 29 November - Becky James, track racing cyclist

Deaths

• 14 January - Donald Coleman, politician, 65^[31]
• 30 January - Rhys Lloyd, Baron Lloyd of Kilgerran, politician, 83
• 10 February - Rowe Harding, rugby player, 89
• 19 February - Tom Rees, Wales international rugby player, 77
• 18 March - Robert Roland Hughes, neurologist, 79/80^[32]
• 24 March - Maudie Edwards, actress and singer, 84^[33]
• 29 March - John Stradling Thomas, politician, 65^[34]
• July - Evan Roberts, conservationist
• 12 August - Edward George Bowen, CBE, physicist, 80^[35]
• 23 August - Innes Lloyd, TV producer, 66
• 26 August - John Petts, artist, 77^[36]
• 31 August - Idwal Rees, Wales rugby union captain, 81
• October - Seymour Morris, footballer, 78
• 13 October - Donald Houston, actor, 67^[37]
• 5 November - Gwenlyn Parry, dramatist, 59^[38]
• 15 December - Ray Smith, actor, 55
• 22 December - Jim Lang, Wales rugby union player, 82

See also

• 1991 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Web site: Lord Hunt of Wirral. UK Parliament. 31 May 2022.
2. News: The Right Rev George Noakes: Archbishop of Wales, 1987-1991 . 22 July 2008. Times, The (London). 27 July 2008.
3. Web site: The Right Rev Alwyn Rice Jones . The Independent . 16 August 2007 . . 31 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071001000228/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2866732.ece . 1 October 2007 . dead.
4. Book: Meic Stephens. Necrologies: A Book of Welsh Obituaries. 2008. Seren. 978-1-85411-476-1. 221.
5. Book: I. W. Duedall. Second International Ocean Pollution Symposium, Beijing, China, 4-8 October, 1993. 1995. CRC Press. 978-2-88449-050-4. 127.
6. Web site: Hain's world. 10 February 2001. Kevin Toolis. The Guardian. 19 April 2019.
7. Web site: Gwenllian. Cadw. 2017-12-24. 2013-10-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20131023171315/http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/docs/cadw/publications/Gwenllian_EN.pdf. dead.
8. Web site: Dean Saunders. Soccerbase. Racing Post. 2017-12-24. 2007-10-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20071001011044/http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=7044. live.
9. Book: Peter Cruchley-Jones. Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land?: A Missiological Interpretation of the Ely Pastorate Churches, Cardiff. 2001. P. Lang. 978-3-631-37196-1. 75.
10. Web site: Giggs ends international career. BBC. 2007-05-30. 2017-12-24.
11. Book: Medd Guinness. Guin: Book of Records '93. October 1992. Guinness World Records Limited. 978-0-85112-978-5. 131.
12. Book: D. S. M. Barrie. South Wales. 1994. David St. John Thomas, an imprint of Thomas & Lochar. 978-0-946537-69-3. 138.
13. News: M4 Relief Road: Timeline. South Wales Argus. 2009-07-16. 2017-12-24.
14. Web site: Winners of the Chair. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
15. Web site: Winners of the Crown. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
16. Web site: Winners of the Prose Medal. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 November 2019.
17. Web site: Enillwyr Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen. cy. BBC Cymru. 24 November 2019.
18. Book: Meic Stephens. The new companion to the literature of Wales. 23 September 1998. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1383-1. 4.
19. Book: Phil Rickman. Candlenight. 29 October 2011. Atlantic Books. 978-0-85789-688-9. 7.
20. Book: Robat Arwyn. Robin Llwyd Ab Owain. Gwin Beaujolais. 15 August 2010. Y Lolfa. 978-0-86243-249-2.
21. Book: M. Wynn Thomas. Corresponding Cultures: The Two Literatures of Wales. 1999. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1531-6. 264.
22. Book: Celtic Culture: A-Celti. 2006. ABC-CLIO. 978-1-85109-440-0. 1903.
23. Book: Geraint Evans. Helen Fulton. The Cambridge History of Welsh Literature. 18 April 2019. Cambridge University Press. 978-1-107-10676-5. 332.
24. Web site: The Blue Books of 1847. National Library of Wales. 6 October 2019. 8 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190808152724/https://www.library.wales/discover/digital-gallery/printed-material/thebluebooks/. dead.
25. Book: David R Edwards. Atgofion Hen Wanc. 15 August 2013. Y Lolfa. 978-1-84771-621-7. 65.
26. Book: Sarah Hill. 'Blerwytirhwng?' The Place of Welsh Pop Music. 5 July 2017. Taylor & Francis. 978-1-351-57345-0. 201.
27. Book: Colin Larkin. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 27 May 2011. Omnibus Press. 978-0-85712-595-8. 14.
28. News: BBC Wales Sport Personality winners . BBC Sport . 2 August 2021.
29. Web site: First Team . Swansea City A.F.C. . 20 August 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090505052138/http://www.swanseacity.net/page/ProfilesDetail/0%2C%2C10354~46702%2C00.html . 5 May 2009 .
30. Web site: Who is Amy Dowden? Strictly Come Dancing star's age, height, career and more facts. 27 October 2018. Smooth Radio. 29 October 2018.
31. Web site: Coleman, Donald Richard (1925—1991), Labour politician. John Graham Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 10 March 2019.
32. Book: The Medical Directory ...: London, Provinces, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Abroad, Navy, Army & Air Force. 1992. Churchill Livingstone. xi.
33. News: Maudie Edwards. https://web.archive.org/web/20160406155941/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9fb4c34f. dead. April 6, 2016. BFI. 10 March 2019.
34. Web site: Thomas, John Stradling (1925-1991), Conservative politician. John Graham Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 22 November 2019.
35. Book: DK Milne. Parkes: Thirty Years of Radio Astronomy. 1 January 1994. Csiro Publishing. 978-0-643-10594-2. 10.
36. Web site: Petts, Ronald John (1914-1991), artist. Morfudd Nia Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 22 November 2019.
37. Book: Deborah Andrews. Annual Obituary, 1991. 1992. St. James Press. 978-1-55862-175-6. 631.
38. Book: Roger Owen. Gwenlyn Parry. 15 September 2013. University of Wales Press. 978-1-78316-577-3. 30.