1994 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1994 to Wales and its people.

← 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1994 in Wales → 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1994 in The United Kingdom England Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Charles
• Princess of Wales – Diana
• Secretary of State for Wales – John Redwood
• Archbishop of Wales – Alwyn Rice Jones, Bishop of St Asaph
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – John Gwilym Jones[1]

Events

• 26 January – A man fires two blank shots at Charles, Prince of Wales, during the prince's visit to Sydney, Australia.[2]
• 10 February – An earthquake shock measuring 2.9 on the Richter scale is experienced within a 50-mile radius of the epicentre near Bangor, Wales.
• 18 March – An earthquake shock measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale is experienced within a 30-mile radius of the epicentre near Newtown, Montgomeryshire.
• 1 April – At Coney Beach Pleasure Park, Porthcawl, a 9-year-old boy is killed after being flung off the 58-year-old "Water Chute" ride when a steel hoop collapses in wet and windy conditions and falls onto the open-topped carriage in which he is travelling.[3]
• 29 June – In a televised interview with Jonathan Dimbleby, the Prince of Wales admits having committed adultery after the breakdown of his marriage.
• 19 July – Glenys Kinnock is elected to the European Parliament.
• 24 July – Explosion at Pembroke Refinery injures 26.
• 28 August – Sunday trading becomes legal in England and Wales for the first time.[4]
• 10 September – Bryn Terfel is guest soloist at the Last Night of the Proms in London.[5]
• Dr Elizabeth Haywood is the first winner of the Welsh Woman of the Year award.[6]
• Miners at the Tower Colliery in South Wales, led by Tyrone O'Sullivan, set up TEBO (Tower Employees Buy-Out) to try to save their mine.
• Work begins on the Cardiff Bay barrage.
• St Davids (population 2,000) is restored to city status in the United Kingdom at the request of the Queen, confirmed by letters patent presented on 1 June 1995.

Arts and literature

• Foundation of the Harlech Biennale visual arts festival.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Neath)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Emyr Lewis, "Chwyldro"[7]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Gerwyn Williams, "Dolenni"[8]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Robin Llywelyn, O'r Harbwr Gwag i'r Cefnfor Gwyn[9]
• Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen - Eirug Wyn[10]
• Wales Book of the Year:
  • English language: Paul Ferris, Caitlin
  • Welsh language: Robin Chapman, W. J. Gruffydd
• Aventis Prize – Steve Jones, The Language of the Genes
• Glyndŵr Award – Ian Parrott (composer)

New books

English language

• John Davies – A History of Wales
• Jonathan Dimbleby – The Prince of Wales: a Biography
• Mike Jenkins – Graffiti Narratives
• John May – Reference Wales
• Jenny Rees – Looking for Mr Nobody; The Secret Life of Goronwy Rees[11]

Welsh language

• Donald Evans – Wrth Reddf
• Bobi Jones – Crist a Chenedlaetholdeb (Christ and Nationalism)[12]
• Esyllt T. Lawrence - Cyn y Wawr
• Mihangel Morgan - Te Gyda'r Frenhines[13]

New music

• Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Tatay (album)
• Karl Jenkins - Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary

Film

• Keith Allen plays the mysterious lodger in Shallow Grave.

Welsh-language films

• Branwen (Ceri Sherlock)
• Hedd Wyn
• Tân ar y Comin (premièred 1 January on S4C television)[14]
• Ymadawiad Arthur

Music

• John Cale performs a spoken-word duet with Suzanne Vega on the song "The Long Voyage" on Hector Zazou's album Chansons des mers froides.
• Shakin' Stevens gives up recording.

Albums

• Bryn Fôn – Dyddiau Di-gymar
• Dafydd Iwan – Caneuon Gwerin

Broadcasting

Welsh-language television

• Gogs (animation)
• Gwalia yng Nghasia (documentary)
• Yr Heliwr ("A Mind to Kill") (drama)
• Pengelli
• Uned 5 (children's)

English-language television

• Wales Tonight (HTV)

Sport

• Commonwealth Games – The Wales team wins a total of 19 medals, including five golds (Colin Jackson, 110m hurdles; Neil Winter, pole vault; Michael Jay, rapid-fire pistol; David Morgan, middleweight weightlifting snatch and overall middleweight title).
• Football – Vinnie Jones is chosen to captain the Wales international side.
• Golf – Ian Woosnam wins the British Masters tournament.

Births

• 7 February – Nathan Walker, Welsh-Australian ice hockey player
• 30 June – Rhys Jones, sprinter
• 2 July – Jessica Leigh Jones, engineer
• 7 September – Elinor Barker, cyclist
• 6 October – Joe Woolford, singer
• date unknown – Rhys Morgan, health blogger

Deaths

• 1 January – Allen Forward, Wales international rugby union player, 72
• 23 March – Donald Swann, musician, 70[15]
• 21 May – Cliff Wilson, snooker player, 60[16]
• 31 May – Tom Lewis, Wales international rugby union player, 89
• 27 June – Jeremy Brooks, novelist, poet and dramatist, 67[17]
• 24 July – Aubrey Davies, cricketer, 79
• 31 July – Caitlin Macnamara, widow of Dylan Thomas, 80[18]
• 23 August – Wat Jones, cricketer, 77
• 1 September – Dr Roger Thomas, politician, 68[19]
• 4 October – F. Gwendolen Rees, zoologist, 88
• 9 October – Idris Hopkins, footballer, 83
• 17 October – Gus Risman, rugby league player, 83
• 28 October – Steve Curtis, boxer, 45
• 6 December – Alun Owen, screenwriter, 69[20]
• 29 December – Jack Rippon, cricketer, 76
• 31 December – Harri Webb, poet, 74[21]
• date unknown - Elisabeth Inglis-Jones, writer

See also

• 1994 in Northern Ireland

References

1. "Former Archdruid honoured". Aberystwyth University. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
2. Angella Johnson (27 January 1994). "Student faces six charges after starting-gun incident". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
3. Nowicka, Helen; Boggan, Steve (2 April 1994). "Survivors speak of tragedy at funfair: Steel hoop 'had collapsed into path of Water Chute car'". The Independent. London. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
4. "Sunday trading legalised". BBC News. 28 August 1994. Retrieved 28 January 2008.
5. Lesley Gerard (12 September 1994). "Soloist injects Welsh note into Proms finale". The Independent. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
6. "Dr Elizabeth Haywood". Swansea University. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
7. "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
8. "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
9. Peter France (2000). The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation. Oxford University Press. pp. 189. ISBN 978-0-19-818359-4.
10. "Enillwyr Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen". BBC Cymru (in Welsh). Retrieved 24 November 2019.
11. Christopher Hitchens (23 February 1995). "Lucky Kim". London Review of Books. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
12. Eleri Hedd James (1 December 2009). Casglu Darnau'r Jig-So: Theori Beirniadaeth R. M. (Bobi) Jones. University of Wales Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-7083-2247-5.
13. Meic Stephens (1998). Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru. University of Wales Press. p. 508. ISBN 978-0-7083-1383-1.
14. "Tim Boswel yn Dychwelyd i Geredigion (Diwrnod Cenedlaethol i Gofio T. Llew Jones)" (in Welsh). Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. 1 October 2010.
15. John Amis (25 March 1994). "Obituary: Donald Swann". The Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
16. Guy Hodgson (27 May 1994). "Obituary: Cliff Wilson". The Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
17. Chris Barlas (2 July 1994). "Obituary: Jeremy Brooks". The Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
18. Glyn Jones (2 August 1994). "Obituary: Caitlin Thomas". The Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
19. Tony Heath (7 September 1994). "Obituary: Roger Thomas". The Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
20. Harris M. Lentz (1994). Obituaries in the Performing Arts. McFarland & Co. p. 132.
21. Harri Webb (1998). A Militant Muse, Harri Webb: Selected Literary Journalism 1948–80. Seren. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-85411-212-5.