1981 in Wales

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Wales – Nicholas Edwards
• Archbishop of Wales – Gwilym Williams, Bishop of Bangor
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
• *Geraint
• *Jâms Nicholas

Events

• January - First phase of St. David's Shopping Centre, Cardiff, opens to the public.
• 26 March - Roy Jenkins co-founds the Social Democratic Party (UK) in London. Welsh Labour MPs defecting to the new party are: Tom Ellis, Ednyfed Hudson Davies and Jeffrey Thomas.
• 24 February - Buckingham Palace announces the engagement of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer.
• 5 April - UK census: Results reveal that the percentage of Welsh language speakers has fallen to an all-time low of 18.9% of the Welsh population and Gwynedd is the only Welsh county with a Welsh-speaking majority.
• 11 June - Britain's first Urban Enterprise Zone is created in Lower Swansea Valley.
• 29 July - Wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London.
• November - Joan Ruddock becomes Chair of CND.
• Independent film company Teliesyn begins producing programmes for S4C, BBC Wales and HTV.

Arts and literature

• 6 June - The Alarm play their first gig under their new name, at the Victoria Hotel, Prestatyn.
• Theatre Wales is established.
• Harry Secombe receives a knighthood.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - John Gwilym Jones, "Y Frwydr"
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Siôn Aled, "Wynebau"
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - John Griffith Jones, "Cysgodion ar y Pared"

New books

English language

• Clive Jenkins & Barrie Sherman - The Leisure Shock
• Eiluned Lewis - The Old Home
• Kenneth O. Morgan - Rebirth of a Nation: Wales 1880-1980
• R. S. Thomas - ''Between Here and Now''

Welsh language

• Irma Chilton - Y Cwlwm Gwaed
• Eigra Lewis Roberts - ''Merch yr oriau mawr''

Drama

• J. R. Evans - ''Brawd am Byth''

Music

• Dafydd Iwan - "Yma o Hyd"
• Daniel Jones - Symphony no. 10
• William Mathias - ''Let the people praise Thee, O God''

Film

English-language films

• The Mouse and the Woman, starring Huw Ceredig.
• Dragonslayer, with exterior scenes filmed in Wales.

Broadcasting

English-language television

• 4 March–29 April – The Life and Times of David Lloyd George, written by Elaine Morgan and starring Philip Madoc
• 24 September–18 December – ''Taff Acre''

Welsh-language television

• Croeso i S4C, presented by Owen Edwards

Sport

• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – John Toshack
• Boxing - Neville Meade becomes British heavyweight champion.
• Football - Neville Southall joins Everton F.C.

Births

• 12 January – Sarah Thomas, field hockey player
• 13 March – Ryan Jones, rugby player
• 17 March - Leigh De-Vulgt, footballer
• 28 March – Gareth David-Lloyd, actor
• 6 April – Robert Earnshaw, footballer
• 23 May – Gwenno Saunders, singer
• 24 May – Darren Moss, footballer
• 25 May – Huw Stephens, radio and TV presenter
• 18 November – Sian Reese-Williams, actress
• 19 November – Mark Wallace, cricketer
• 16 December – Gareth Williams Scottish-Welsh footballer

Deaths

• January - Leslie Jones, footballer, 69
• March - Dai Francis, miners' leader
• 1 March - Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, theologian, 81
• 8 March - Nigel Birch, Baron Rhyl, politician, 74
• 3 April - Will Owen, miner and politician, 80
• 13 April - Gwyn Thomas, author, 67
• 15 May - J. E. Meredith, Presbyterian minister and writer, 76
• 16 June - Billy Hughes, footballer, 63
• 17 June - Ike Fowler, dual-code international rugby union player, 86
• 23 July - Goronwy Roberts, Baron Goronwy-Roberts, politician, 67
• 6 August - George Lewis, footballer, 67
• 18 September - Brinley Richards, poet, author and archdruid
• 30 September - Roy John, Wales and British Lions international rugby union player, 55
• 25 December - Tom Griffiths, Welsh international footballer, 75