1988 in Wales
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1988 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
- Secretary of State for Wales – Peter Walker
- Archbishop of Wales – George Noakes, Bishop of St David's
- Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Emrys Deudraeth
Events
- 14 February - Lynette White is murdered in her Cardiff flat. The case remains controversial for over 20 years, with Jeffrey Gafoor eventually being convicted in 2003.
- 26 March - The Welsh Ornithological Society is founded at Aberystwyth.
- October - County Hall, Cardiff, officially opened as the headquarters of South Glamorgan County Council beside the disused Bute East Dock in the Atlantic Wharf area of Butetown, Cardiff.
- 4 November - British Rail operates the last steam locomotives in its ownership on the Vale of Rheidol Railway in regular service prior to its privatisation next year.
- date unknown - The complete Bible translation into Welsh that has been in use since 1620 is replaced with a new version, Y Beibl Cymraeg Newydd, translated directly from the original languages.
Arts and literature
- January - BAFTA Cymru is founded.
- 28-31 May - First Hay Festival of literature held in Hay-on-Wye.
- The Gregynog festival is re-launched by Anthony Rolfe Johnson.
- The European Centre for Traditional and Regional Cultures opens in Llangollen.
- Independent record label Ankst is formed at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams.
- This year also sees the foundation of:
- *Ffilm Cymru
- *''New Welsh Review''
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Elwyn Edwards, "Storm"
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - T. James Jones, "Ffin"
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - ''withheld''
New books
English language
- Tony Conran - Blodeuwedd
- Hilary Llywelyn-Williams - The Tree Calendar
- Sheenagh Pugh - Beware Falling Tortoises
- Oliver Reynolds - The Player Queen's Wife
- Bernice Rubens - Our Father
- Glanmor Williams - ''Recovery, Reorientation and Reformation''
Welsh language
- Idris Foster, Rachel Bromwich & D. Simon Evans, Culhwch ac Olwen
- Bobi Jones - Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg 1902-36
- Rhiannon Davies Jones - Cribau Eryri
- Manon Rhys - Cwtsho
- Wiliam Owen Roberts - Y Pla
- Huw Walters - ''Canu'r Pwll a'r Pulpud''
Music
- Ffa Coffi Pawb - Dalec Peilon
- Trebor Edwards - Goreuon Trebor
- Bonnie Tyler - ''Hide Your Heart''
Film
- Peter Greenaway directs Drowning by Numbers.
Welsh-language films
- ''Stormydd Awst''
Broadcasting
Welsh-language television
- Pobol y Cwm becomes the first European soap opera to be broadcast daily.
- ''C'mon Midffild''
English-language television
- ''The Divided Kingdom''
Sport
- Association football
- *April – Newport County A.F.C., one of four Welsh teams in the English Football League, are relegated to the GM Vauxhall Conference.
- Athletics
- *Steve Jones becomes the first British competitor to win the New York Marathon.
- BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Colin Jackson
- Rugby union
- *Wales top the 1988 Five Nations Championship winning the Triple Crown.
- *18 May to 11 June – Wales tour New Zealand, losing heavily in both Tests to the All Blacks.
- Snooker
- *2 May – Terry Griffiths is defeated in the final of the 1988 World Snooker Championship by Steve Davis.
- *27 November – Doug Mountjoy defeats Stephen Hendry in the final of the UK Snooker Championship to claim his second UK title.
Births
- 29 January - Catrin Stewart, actress
- 14 February - Jamie Jones, snooker player
- 18 February - Mark Davies, footballer
- 29 February - Hannah Mills, sports sailor
- 24 March - Curtis McDonald, footballer
- 11 April - Nathan Stephens, athlete and Paralympian
- 20 June - Shefali Chowdhury, actress
- 24 August - Kelly Lee Owens, electronic musician
- 5 October - Sam Warburton, rugby player
- 15 November - Dan Evans, rugby player
- 13 December - Darcy Blake, footballer
- 22 December - Leigh Halfpenny, rugby player
- 28 December
- *Ched Evans, footballer
- *Elfyn Evans, rally driver
- 31 December - Holly Holyoake, singer
Deaths
- January - George Ewart Evans, folklorist and oral historian, 78
- 26 January - Raymond Williams, writer, 66
- 2 April - Euros Bowen, poet, 83
- April - T. Glynne Davies, poet, novelist and broadcaster, 62
- 13 May - Elfed Evans, footballer, 61
- 18 May - Brandon Rhys-Williams, politician, 60
- 15 June - David Blackmore, cricketer, 88
- 8 September - Mel Rosser, dual-code international rugby player, 87
- 23 September - Arwel Hughes, composer and conductor, 79
- 12 October - Ruth Manning-Sanders, poet and children's author, 102
- 16 October - John Gwilym Jones, dramatist, 84
- 11 November - William Ifor Jones, conductor and organist, 88
- 1 December - Alun Oldfield-Davies, controller of BBC Wales, 83
- 13 December - Brynmor John, politician, 54
- 25 December - W. F. Grimes, archaeologist, 83
- 27 December - Tecwyn Roberts, aerospace engineer, 63
- date unknown
- *John Morgan, journalist
- *Ray Price, rugby player, 64