1995 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1995 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Wales – John Redwood (until 26 June); David Hunt (Acting); William Hague (from 5 July)
• Archbishop of Wales – Alwyn Rice Jones, Bishop of St Asaph
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – John Gwilym Jones

Events

• 3 January – Tower Colliery re-opens under the ownership of the workforce buyout company Goitre Tower Anthracite.
• 1 February – Richey Edwards of the Manic Street Preachers disappears.
• 16 February – In the Islwyn by-election brought about by the resignation of Neil Kinnock, Don Touhig is elected as Labour MP for the constituency.
• April – TBI plc purchases Cardiff-Wales Airport from Glamorgan County Council.
• 20 July – Swansea-born Michael Heseltine becomes Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, an office last held by Geoffrey Howe.
• 30 July – Police in North Wales launch a murder inquiry after the body of seven-year-old Sophie Hook (who had gone missing from a nearby house during the night) is found on a beach near Llandudno by a man walking his dog.
• 6 August – Howard Hughes, a 30-year-old Colwyn Bay man, is charged with the murder of Sophie Hook.
• November – Diver Keith Hurley discovers the wreck of the submarine Resurgam (sunk 1880) off Rhyl.
• 20 November – The Princess of Wales gives a revealing interview to Martin Bashir for the Panorama current affairs television programme on BBC 1, discussing her personal problems and marriage in candid detail.
• 20 December – The Queen writes to The Prince and Princess of Wales urging them to divorce as soon as possible.
• Welsh historian Sir Rees Davies is appointed to the Chichele Chair of Medieval History in the University of Oxford.
• Welsh historian Glanmor Williams is knighted.

Arts and literature

• Roger Rees is nominated for a Tony for Best Actor in a Play for his role in Indiscretions.
• Michael Ball performs in the Les Misérables tenth anniversary concert.
• Peter Karrie is voted the favourite Phantom of members of The Phantom of the Opera Appreciation Society for the second year in a row.
• The Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea, is opened by Jimmy Carter.

Awards

• Glyndŵr Award – Kyffin Williams
• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Abergele)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Tudur Dylan Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Aled Gwyn
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Angharad Jones for Y Dylluan Wen
• Wales Book of the Year:
• English language: Duncan Bush, Masks
• Welsh language: Aled Islwyn, Unigolion, Unigeddau
• Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen – Beryl Stafford Williams

New books

• Roger Boore – Y Bachgen Gwyllt
• Robin Llywelyn – Y Dwr Mawr Llwyd
• R. S. Thomas – No Truce with the Furies
• Aled Rhys Wiliam – Cywain

Film

English-language films

• The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, with Kenneth Griffith
• Restoration is partly filmed at Caerphilly Castle.

Welsh-language films

• Branwen

Music

• Robin Huw Bowen – Harp Music of Wales (Cerddoriaeth Telyn Cymru)
• Carreg Lafar – Ysbryd y Werin
• Dafydd Iwan – Cân Celt
• Super Furry Animals – Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyndrobwllantysiliogogogochynygofod (in space) (E.P.)
• Triskedekaphilia (compilation album)

Broadcasting

• 30 September – 96.4 FM The Wave goes on air for the first time.

Welsh-language television

• A55, starring Iwan "Iwcs" Roberts
• Rownd a Rownd, a youth-oriented soap opera set and filmed around Menai Bridge, launches on S4C

English-language television

• John Rhys-Davies takes the lead in the new US drama series, Sliders.
• Somebody's Son (prizewinning documentary made for BBC2 and BBC Wales by Raw Charm).

Sport

• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Neville Southall
• Rugby Union
• 4 June – A narrow defeat by Ireland results in Wales being eliminated from the Rugby World Cup competition after only three matches.

Births

• 5 January – Tom John, footballer
• 13 February – Leona Vaughan, actress
• 13 June – Anna Morris, cyclist
• 30 June – Declan John, footballer
• 4 July – Amy Hill, cyclist
• 9 October – Jasmine Joyce-Butchers, rugby player
• 12 October – Jordan Howe, Paralympic athlete
• 30 November – Seb Morris, racing driver

Deaths

• 28 January – Philip Burton, theatre director and radio producer, 90
• 2 February - Raymond Bark-Jones, English-born Wales international rugby union player, 83
• 4 February - David Alexander, singer, 56
• 8 February – Don Devereux, dual-code rugby player, 62
• 8 February – Rachel Thomas, actress, 89
• 11 March – Myfanwy Talog, actress, 50
• 28 March - Julian Cayo-Evans, political activist, 57
• 10 April – Glyn Jones, poet, author and academic, 90
• 12 April – Cyril Sidlow, footballer, 89
• 21 April – Tessie O'Shea, entertainer, 82
• 21 June – Tristan Jones, sailor, 66
• 24 June – Len Blyth, Wales international rugby player, 74
• 25 September – Dave Bowen, footballer, 67
• 26 September – Lynette Roberts, poet, 86
• 5 December – Charles Evans, doctor and mountaineer, 77

See also

• 1995 in Northern Ireland

References