1999 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1999 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

January
*Protesting farmers blockade the north Wales headquarters of supermarket chain Iceland.
*Opening of the St David's Hotel in Cardiff Bay, Wales's first 5-star hotel.
February – Outbreak of meningitis in the Pontypridd area.
March – West Wales and the Valleys is designated an Objective 1 region within the European Community.
6 May – 1999 National Assembly for Wales election, the first to be held.
10 May – The Queen attends a gala concert in Cardiff Bay to celebrate the opening of the Welsh Assembly.
12 May – The National Assembly for Wales meets in Cardiff for its first session.
19 May – 'Robbie', probably the last pit pony to work in the U.K. is retired at Pant y Gasseg drift mine, near Pontypool in the South Wales coalfield.
June – Eight children in north Wales are taken ill with E. coli poisoning.
27 June – The Clydach murders: four members of the same family are found bludgeoned to death.
July – Bryncelyn Brewery begins brewing.
December – Hyder cuts 1000 jobs after being forced to make cuts in their charges for electricity and water.
19 December – Charlotte Church makes her debut as a television actress in Heartbeat.
Main construction work on Cardiff Bay Barrage completed.

Cysgod y Cryman by Islwyn Ffowc Elis is voted the most significant Welsh language book of the 20th century.
Sir Harry Secombe suffers a second stroke, which forces him to give up his television career.
Mary Hopkin joins The Chieftains on their UK tour.
Dick Francis: A Racing Life, an unauthorised biography, suggests that his books were substantially written by his wife Mary.
Painter Kyffin Williams is knighted for his services to the arts.
September – Swansea Grand Theatre becomes the base for the Ballet Russe company.

Cardiff Singer of the World – Anja Harteros
Glyndŵr Award – Gillian Clarke
National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Gwenallt Lloyd Ifan
National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Ifor ap Glyn
National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Sonia Edwards
Wales Book of the Year:
*English language: Emyr Humphreys – The Gift of a Daughter
*Welsh language: R. M. Jones – Ysbryd y Cwlwm: Delwedd y Genedl yn ein Llenyddiaeth
Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen – Ann Pierce Jones – ''Fflamio''

Y Palmant Aur
Yno o hyd
Tri Tenor – Gala concert with performances by Welsh tenors Gwyn Hughes Jones, Rhys Meirion and Timothy Richards
Catrin Finch
''Ponteifi''

3 February – Alfred Janes, artist, 87
8 February – Meredith Edwards, actor, 81
16 February – Don Hayward, Wales and British Lions international rugby player, 73
17 February – John Lansdown, computer graphics pioneer, 70
4 April – Raymond Davies Hughes, RAF airman and broadcaster, 75
11 April – Alan Evans, darts player, 49
6 May – Johnny Morris, television presenter, 82
11 May – Robert Thomas, sculptor, 72
12 July – Guy Griffiths, pilot, 84
16 July – Barri Jones, classical scholar and archaeologist, 63
5 September – Ivor Roberts, former TWW presenter, 74
22 September – Clive Jenkins, trade union leader, 73
24 October – Howard Griffiths, screenwriter, 64
15 November – Sir Harry Llewellyn, equestrian champion, 88
27 November – Ernest Zobole, artist, 72
6 December – Gwyn Jones, writer, 92
19 December – Desmond Llewelyn, actor, 85
23 December – Eirene White, politician, 90