1997 in Wales

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

← 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1997 in Wales → 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
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

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

See also

• 1997 in Northern Ireland

References

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.
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.