1975 in Wales

Template:Short description Template:Year in Wales header This article is about the particular significance of the year 1975 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Wales – John Morris
• Archbishop of Wales – Gwilym Williams, Bishop of Bangor
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • Brinli (outgoing)
  • Bryn (incoming)

Events

• 20 March - Opening of the Cleddau Bridge at Milford Haven.
• 14 April - Actor/singer Michael Flanders dies suddenly of an intracranial berry aneurysm while on holiday in Betws-y-Coed.
• May - A leak from the Esso Tenby tanker off the coast of Pembrokeshire kills an estimated 1,300 seabirds.
• 28 July - Eight people are injured when a train is derailed between Sarnau and St Clears.
• 19 November - The Wales national football team qualifies for the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 1976, beating Austria 1-0 in Wrexham.
• date unknown - The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust is established.

Arts and literature

• Ryan and Ronnie announce the end of their comedy partnership.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Criccieth)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Gerallt Lloyd Owen
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Elwyn Roberts
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - withheld

New books

English language

• Gwynfor Evans - National Future for Wales
• Jeremy Hooker - Soliloquies of a Chalk Giant
• Emyr Humphries - Flesh and Blood
• Joseph Jenkins - Diary of a Welsh Swagman (posthumous)
• Richard Llewellyn - Green, Green, My Valley Now
• Moelwyn Merchant - Breaking the Code
• Prys Morgan - Iolo Morganwg
• Bernice Rubens - I Sent a Letter to My Love
• Peter Tinniswood - Except You're a Bird
• Rhydwen Williams - The Angry Vineyard

Welsh language

• Aneirin Talfan Davies - Diannerch Erchwyn a Cherddi Eraill
• T. Glynne Davies - Marged
• Richard Cyril Hughes - Catrin o Ferain
• T. Llew Jones - Tân ar y Comin
• Alan Llwyd - Edrych Trwy Wydrau Lledrith
• Marged Pritchard - Gwylanod ar y Mynydd
• Gwyn Thomas - Y Pethau Diwethaf a Phethau Eraill

New drama

• W. S. Jones - Y Toblarôn
• Saunders Lewis - Dwy Briodas Ann

Music

• Max Boyce - We All Had Doctors' Papers
• Edward H. Dafis - Ffordd Newydd Eingl-Americanaidd Grêt o Fyw
• Dave Edmunds - Subtle As A Flying Mallet
• Andy Fairweather-Low - La Booga Rooga, album featuring the top ten hit single "Wide Eyed and Legless"

Film

• Rachel Roberts appears in Picnic at Hanging Rock.
• Ken Loach's Days of Hope is partly set in Wales.

Welsh-language films

• None

Broadcasting

Welsh-language television

• The Siberry Report recommends a new Welsh-language fourth channel broadcasting 25 hours a week of Welsh-language programmes, with BBC and HTV each responsible for 50% of the output.
• Llon a Llywd with Olween Rees
• Bilidowcar with Marged Esli
• Pili Pala with Myfanwy Talog

English-language television

• Grand Slam, starring Hugh Griffith and Windsor Davies
• How Green Was My Valley adapted for television by Elaine Morgan, starring Stanley Baker, Sian Phillips, Mike Gwilym, Nerys Hughes and Gareth Thomas.
• Angharad Rees stars in Poldark.

Sport

• Boxing – Pat Thomas wins the British Welterweight title.
• Darts – Wales win the Home International Series.
• Football – The Wales national football team qualifies for the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 1976.
• Snooker – Ray Reardon wins his fourth World Championship title.
• Arfon Griffiths wins BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year.

Births

• 12 March - Richard Harrington, actor
• 21 March - Mark Williams, snooker player
• 5 April - John Hartson, footballer
• 16 April - Euros Childs, alternative rock singer-songwriter and keyboardist
• 22 May - Kelly Morgan, badminton player
• 18 June - Jem, hip-hop singer-songwriter
• 24 July - Dafydd James, rugby player
• 4 September - Kai Owen, actor
• 26 September - Dai Thomas, footballer
• 19 October - Jamie Donaldson, golfer
• 28 October - Adrian Durston, rugby player
• 5 November - Lisa Scott-Lee, pop singer
• 25 November - Paul Mealor, composer
• date unknown - Cynan Jones, novelist

Deaths

• 14 February - Arthur Probert, politician, 67
• 23 February - Ossie Male, rugby player, 81
• 3 March - T. H. Parry-Williams, poet, 87
• 15 March - Edward James, cricketer, 78
• 6 April - Tom Morgan, cricketer, 81
• 23 April - Pete Ham, musician, leader of the group Badfinger (suicide), 27
• 24 April - Stephen Halden Beattie, recipient of the Victoria Cross, 67
• 21 May - A. H. Dodd, historian, 83
• 7 June - Jack Smith, footballer, 63
• 8 July - T. G. E. Powell, archaeologist, 59
• 7 August - Jim Griffiths, politician, 84
• 27 August - Noel Morgan, cricketer, 69
• 4 September - Walley Barnes, footballer and broadcaster, 55
• 5 October - Will Davies, rugby player, 69
• 6 November - Norman Riches, cricketer
• 10 November - Emrys Davies, cricketer, 71
• 18 December - R. Ifor Parry, minister, teacher and philanthropist, 67
• date unknown
  • Robert Herring, poet and critic, 72
  • Alun Jeremiah Jones (Alun Cilie), poet
  • Huw Lloyd Edwards, dramatist

See also

• 1975 in Northern Ireland