2005 in Wales
See also: 2004 in Wales, other events of 2005, 2006 in Wales and the list of years in Wales.
Contents |
Incumbents
- Prince of Wales - Charles, Prince of Wales
- Princess of Wales - vacant
- First Minister - Rhodri Morgan
- Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales - Dafydd Elis-Thomas
- Secretary of State for Wales - Peter Hain
- Archbishop of Wales - Barry Morgan (Bishop of Llandaff)
Events
- January 10 - Jane Hutt loses her job as Health Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government, a post she had held since 1999. She is replaced by Dr Brian Gibbons. First Minister Rhodri Morgan denies it is a sacking, and moves Mrs Hutt to the post of Business Minister.
- January 22 - Tsunami Relief concert held at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff -the largest live music event in the UK since Live Aid. Performers included Eric Clapton, Jools Holland, Manic Street Preachers, Lulu, Aled Jones, Kelly Jones, Charlotte Church, Katherine Jenkins, Feeder, Snow Patrol, Liberty X, Craig David, Heather Small, Keane.
- April 2 - First Minister Rhodri Morgan travels to Vietnam to take part in a trade mission.
- April 9 - As announced on February 10, the Prince of Wales married Camilla Parker Bowles; however, she uses the style HRH The Duchess of Cornwall rather than Princess of Wales.
- April 27 - March Networks, a company founded by Sir Terry Matthews, goes IPO.
- May 5 - In the United Kingdom general election, 2005, the Conservative Party win three Welsh constituencies, the first time since 1997 that they had held any parliamentary seats in Wales. In the new Cabinet, Paul Murphy is replaced as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
- May 6 - Welsh Secretary, Peter Hain, makes a public apology to soprano Katherine Jenkins for using her image on election leaflets without her permission. Following the General Election, Hain is also appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whilst retaining his Wales appointment.
- June 21 - A new exhibition, "Cardiff's Century", opens to commemorate its first hundred years as a city.
- June 29 - Aspers is selected as the casino operator to invest in Cardiff's planned new £700 million International Sports Village.
- July - A rare Sooty Tern is spotted in the Skerries, Anglesey.
- July 13 - The Prince of Wales opens a new building to house the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum.
- July 30 - An anti-racism rally is held in Cardiff as a result of an attack on the Shah Jalal Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre.
- October - National Waterfront Museum opens in Swansea.
- October 19 - Liverpool City Council issues a formal apology for the flooding of the Tryweryn valley to create the reservoir of Llyn Celyn during the 1950s.
- October 28 - Cardiff celebrates its centenary as a city.
- November - Swansea University announces its new Institute of Advanced Telecommunications (IAT).
- November 1 - The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall arrive in the USA for their first overseas visit since their marriage.
- December 20 - On his first visit to Wales as Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron states that "devolution is here to stay".
- Trinity College, Carmarthen, becomes part of the University of Wales.
Arts and literature
- January - Karl Jenkins is awarded the OBE in the New Year's Honours List.
- January - Sian Pearce becomes the first female musical director of the Morriston Orpheus Choir.
- Celebration Fanfare was written specially by Welsh composer Alun Hoddinott, for the wedding of the Prince of Wales on April 9.
- April 17 - Rhys Ifans wins the Best Actor award at the British Academy Television Awards. Michael Sheen is also nominated.
- May - Gwyneth Lewis becomes the first National Poet for Wales.
- May 25 - Katherine Jenkins' album, Second Nature, is named Album of the Year at the 2005 Classical Brit Awards.
- June 19 - American soprano, Nicole Cabell, wins the final of the Cardiff Singer of the World competition for 2005.
- July 2 - Katherine Jenkins and the Stereophonics perform in the Live8 concerts.
- November - Dawn, by Shreepali Patel, is awarded the D. M. Davies Award at the Cardiff Screen Festival.
- Gillian Clarke is appointed Cardiff's first "Capital Poet".
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Tudur Dylan Jones
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Christine James
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Dylan Iorwerth for Darnau
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Drama Medal - Manon Steffan
- Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen - Sian Eirian Rhys Davies for I Fyd Sy Well
- Wales Book of the Year:
- English language: Owen Sheers, The Dust Diaries
- Welsh language: Caryl Lewis - Martha Jac a Sianco
New books
- Phil Carradice - Wales at War
- Richard Gwyn - The Colour of a Dog Running Away
- Gavin Henson - My Grand Slam Year
- Mererid Hopwood - Seren Lowri
- Stefan Terlezki - From War to Westminster
Music
- Feeder- Pushing The Senses
- Bullet For My Valentine - The Poison
- Charlotte Church - Tissues and Issues
- Dave Edmunds - Alive and Pickin' (album)
- Siân James - Y Ferch o Bedlam
- Llio Rhydderch - Gwenllian
Film
- Ioan Gruffudd stars in Fantastic Four.
- New Anglo-Welsh suspense film, The Dark, stars Sean Bean.
Welsh language films
- Y Lleill, directed by Emyr Glyn Williams
Television
- March 1 - S4C publishes its first Statement of Programme Policy.
- March 21 - BBC Wales announces major restructuring.
- April 23 - BAFTA Cymru awards ceremony held at Cardiff International Arena.
- April 27 - Gethin Jones makes his debut as a Blue Peter presenter.
- May 31 - Iona Jones is appointed S4C's new Chief Executive.
Sports
- March 19 - The Welsh national team defeats Ireland at rugby union to win the Six Nations rugby tournament and secure its first "grand slam" since the 1970s.
- June 27 - Julian Winn, former Olympic competitor, is named as the new Welsh cycling national coach.
Births
Deaths
- February 25 - Professor Sir Glanmor Williams, historian
- March 8 - Alice Thomas Ellis, novelist
- March 26 - James Callaghan, Lord Callaghan of Cardiff, former Cardiff MP and prime minister
- April 21 - Gwynfor Evans, first Plaid Cymru MP and leader of the party for 40 years
- May 16 - Sir Rees Davies, historian
- May 31 - Martyn Davies, rugby player
- July 30 - Derrick Morris, heart transplant survivor
- August 20 - Clifford Williams, actor and director
- October 3 - Jeff Young, rugby player
- November 4 - Wilfred Abse, psychoanalyst
- November 21 - Aileen Fox, archaeologist and widow of Sir Cyril Fox
Categories
2005 in Wales