1997 in Wales

Centuries:	18th; 19th; 20th; 21st; ;
Decades:	1970s; 1980s; 1990s; 2000s; 2010s;
See also:	List of years in Wales; Timeline of Welsh history 1997 in The United Kingdom England Scotland Elsewhere

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1997 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

Secretary of State for Wales – William Hague (until 3 May); Ron Davies
Archbishop of Wales – Alwyn Rice Jones, Bishop of St Asaph
Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dafydd Rowlands

Events

15 January – Diana, Princess of Wales calls for an international ban on landmines.^[1]
21 January – Wales child abuse scandal: Over eighty people are named as child abusers in care homes in North Wales.^[2]
March – Launch of the "Welsh Language in Chubut" project.
13 March – Launch of the Aberystwyth Centre for the Book.
1 May – In the UK general election, four female MPs are elected in Wales -- Julie Morgan, Ann Clwyd, Betty Williams and Jackie Lawrence. Lembit Öpik becomes MP for Montgomeryshire.^[3]
24 May – Robert Hardy officially opens the Judge's Lodging museum in Presteigne.^[4]
31 August – Newsreader Martyn Lewis announces the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
1 September – The Prince of Wales flies to Paris to bring home the body of his ex-wife. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, the only survivor of the crash in which Diana died, remains in a critical condition.
6 September – At the funeral of the former Princess of Wales, her coffin is carried into Westminster Abbey by a contingent of Welsh Guards.^[5]
18 September – The referendum on Welsh devolution results in a narrow "Yes" vote.
13 October – First section of the restored Welsh Highland Railway (60 cm (2 ft) gauge) officially opens over 5 km (3 mi) of former standard gauge trackbed between Caernarfon and Dinas.
date unknown
- Alun Hoddinott receives the Glyndwr Award for an Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in Wales.
- Bryn Euryn, an archaeological site near Colwyn Bay, is identified as the probable base of Cynlas Goch, a 6th-century king.^[6]
- Cardiff Arms Park is demolished to make way for a new stadium.
- Welsh Sheepdog Society is founded.
- Jenny Pride becomes the first Welsh female to command a unit of the Royal Engineers.

Arts

Sir Harry Secombe suffers a stroke.
October - The Red Violin festival is held for the first time in Cardiff.^[7]

Awards

Glyndŵr Award – Alun Hoddinott
National Eisteddfod of Wales – held in Bala
- Chair – Ceri Wyn Jones, "Gwaddol"^[8]
- Crown – Cen Williams, "Branwen"^[9]
- Prose Medal – Angharad Tomos, Y Canol Llonydd^[10]
- Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen – Gwyneth Carey^[11]
- Richard Burton Prize – Rhys ap Trefor
Welsh Arts Council Book of the Year – Iwan Llwyd, Dan Ddylanwad (Under the Influence)

Books

Rees Davies – The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dŵr
Dai Jones – Fi Dai Sy' 'Ma^[12]
Angharad Tomos – Wele'n Gwawrio
Gerwyn Williams – Cydio’n Dynn

Music

L'Héritage des Celtes, featuring Elaine Morgan – Finisterre
Bryn Terfel makes his debut at La Scala as Figaro.

Albums

Acrimony – Tumuli Shroomaroom
Manic Street Preachers – Everything Live
Stereophonics release their first album, Word Gets Around.
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci – Barafundle
Iwcs a Doyle – Edrychiad Cynta’

Film

Ioan Gruffudd and Bernard Fox appear in the blockbuster Titanic.
Michael Sheen stars in Wilde.
Horror film Darklands is filmed in Port Talbot.

Broadcasting

English-language television

Visions of Snowdonia with Iolo Williams

Welsh-language television

Ffermio
Pam Fi Duw? starring Brian Hibbard
Tylluan Wen starring John Ogwen
Y Clwb Rygbi

Sport

BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Scott Gibbs^[13]
Boxing:
- 11 October – Joe Calzaghe beats Chris Eubank to become the Super Middleweight World Champion.
- 19 December – Barry Jones beats Wilson Palacio to become the WBO Super featherweight Champion.
Cricket – Glamorgan win the County Championship.

Births

3 January – Joe Morrell, footballer
23 January – Shaheen Jafargholi, singer and actor
22 March – Harry Wilson, footballer
24 March – George Thomas, footballer
15 May – Maisie Potter, snowboarder

Deaths

January – Alan Taylor, TV presenter, 72^[14]
10 March – Wilf Wooller, cricketer, rugby player, journalist and sports administrator, 84^[15]
2 June – Eddie Thomas, boxing champion and manager, 70^[16]
10 July – Ivor Allchurch, footballer, 67^[17]
16 July – Ron Berry, writer, 77^[18]
2 August – Rhydwen Williams, poet, novelist, and minister, 80^[19]
20 August – Bernard Cowey, Wales international rugby union player, 85
30 August – Gwilym Tilsley, poet and archdruid, 86^[20]
31 August (in Paris) – Diana, Princess of Wales, 36
22 September – George Thomas, 1st Viscount Tonypandy, former Speaker of the House of Commons, 88^[21]
6 November – Ray Daniel, footballer, 69
13 November – Alexander Cordell, novelist, 83^[22]
15 November – Alf Day, footballer, 90^[23]
16 November – Aubrey Edwards, cricketer, 79
28 December – Ronnie Williams, actor and comedian, 58
date unknown
- David Gwerfyl Davies, organist and composer
- Reg Parker, footballer

References

^ "Princess Diana sparks landmines row". On This Day. BBC. 15 January 1997.
^ "Carers accused in child abuse inquiry". On This Day. BBC. 21 January 1997.
^ Vacher's Parliamentary Companion. A.S. Kerswill. 1999. p. 63.
^ The Judge's Lodging: History
^ Mary Robertson (1998). The Diana I Knew. Thorndike Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-7862-1653-6.
^ Nancy Edwards (1997). Landscape and Settlement in Medieval Wales. Oxbow Books. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-900188-36-4.
^ International Who's who in Classical Music. Europa Publications Limited. 2007. p. 445. ISBN 978-1-85743-416-3.
^ "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
^ "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
^ "Winners of the Prose Medal". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
^ "Enillwyr Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen". BBC Cymru (in Welsh). Retrieved 24 November 2019.
^ Dai Jones (1997). Cyfres y Cewri: 17. Fi Dai Sy' 'Ma. Gwasg Gwynedd. ISBN 9780860741428.
^ "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
^ "Remembering the original Mr and Mrs". WalesOnline. 27 March 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
^ Richards, Huw (2004). "Wooller, Wilfred (1912–1997), rugby player and cricketer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/56486. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^ Harry Mullan (4 June 1997). "Obituary:Eddie Thomas". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
^ Farmer, David; Stead, Peter (1998). Ivor Allchurch M.B.E. Swansea: Christopher Davies (Publishing) Ltd. ISBN 0-7154-0733-3.
^ Stephens, Meic (24 July 1997). "Obituary: Ron Berry". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
^ Meic Stephens (7 August 1997). "Obituary: Rhydwen Williams". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
^ A Dictionary of Methodism in Britain and Ireland. Epworth Press. 2000. p. 353. ISBN 9780716205340.
^ Beavan, John (23 September 1997). "Obituary: Viscount Tonypandy". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
^ Buckingham, Mike. (1999). Alexander Cordell. Frame, Richard. Cardiff: GPC Books. ISBN 058527911X. OCLC 45729340.
^ Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (2013). All the Saints: A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC. Southampton: Hagiology Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-9926-8640-6.

[1] "Princess Diana sparks landmines row". On This Day. BBC. 15 January 1997.

[2] "Carers accused in child abuse inquiry". On This Day. BBC. 21 January 1997.

[3] Vacher's Parliamentary Companion. A.S. Kerswill. 1999. p. 63.

[4] The Judge's Lodging: History

[5] Mary Robertson (1998). The Diana I Knew. Thorndike Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-7862-1653-6.

[6] Nancy Edwards (1997). Landscape and Settlement in Medieval Wales. Oxbow Books. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-900188-36-4.

[7] International Who's who in Classical Music. Europa Publications Limited. 2007. p. 445. ISBN 978-1-85743-416-3.

[8] "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.

[9] "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.

[10] "Winners of the Prose Medal". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2019.

[11] "Enillwyr Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen". BBC Cymru (in Welsh). Retrieved 24 November 2019.

[12] Dai Jones (1997). Cyfres y Cewri: 17. Fi Dai Sy' 'Ma. Gwasg Gwynedd. ISBN 9780860741428.

[13] "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2021.

[14] "Remembering the original Mr and Mrs". WalesOnline. 27 March 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2019.

[15] Richards, Huw (2004). "Wooller, Wilfred (1912–1997), rugby player and cricketer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/56486. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

[16] Harry Mullan (4 June 1997). "Obituary:Eddie Thomas". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 4 February 2020.

[17] Farmer, David; Stead, Peter (1998). Ivor Allchurch M.B.E. Swansea: Christopher Davies (Publishing) Ltd. ISBN 0-7154-0733-3.

[18] Stephens, Meic (24 July 1997). "Obituary: Ron Berry". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 28 December 2010.

[19] Meic Stephens (7 August 1997). "Obituary: Rhydwen Williams". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 6 October 2019.

[20] A Dictionary of Methodism in Britain and Ireland. Epworth Press. 2000. p. 353. ISBN 9780716205340.

[21] Beavan, John (23 September 1997). "Obituary: Viscount Tonypandy". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 18 November 2019.

[22] Buckingham, Mike. (1999). Alexander Cordell. Frame, Richard. Cardiff: GPC Books. ISBN 058527911X. OCLC 45729340.

[FATS-23] Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (2013). All the Saints: A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC. Southampton: Hagiology Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-9926-8640-6.

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1997 in Wales

Incumbents

Events

Arts

Awards

Books

Music

Albums

Film

Broadcasting

English-language television

Welsh-language television

Sport

Births

Deaths

See also

References