2000 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 2000 to Wales
and its people
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and its people
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
.
Incumbents
- Prince of WalesPrince of WalesPrince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
- Charles, Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay... - Princess of WalesPrincess of WalesPrincess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of The Prince of Wales since the first "English" Prince of Wales in 1283.Although there have been considerably more than ten male heirs to the throne, there have been only ten Princesses of Wales. The majority of Princes of Wales...
- vacant - First Minister - Rhodri MorganRhodri MorganHywel Rhodri Morgan is a Welsh Labour politician who, as First Secretary for Wales, and subsequently First Minister, was leader of the Welsh Assembly Government from 2000 to 2009. A former leader of Welsh Labour, he was the Assembly Member for Cardiff West from 1999 to 2011...
- Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for WalesPresiding Officer of the National Assembly for WalesThe Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales is the Speaker of the National Assembly for Wales, elected by the Members of the National Assembly for Wales to chair their meetings ; to maintain order; and to protect the rights of Members.He or she also heads the Corporate Body of the...
- Dafydd Elis-ThomasDafydd Elis-ThomasDafydd Elis Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas, PC, AM, is a Welsh politician and was the Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales until 2011... - Secretary of State for WalesSecretary of State for WalesThe Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
- Paul Murphy - Archbishop of WalesArchbishop of WalesThe post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England , and disestablished...
- Rowan WilliamsRowan WilliamsRowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...
Events
- 15 February - Wales child abuse scandalWales child abuse scandalThe Wales child abuse scandal was the subject of a three-year, £13 million investigation into the sexual abuse of children in care homes in North Wales over two decades....
: Sir Ronald WaterhouseRonald WaterhouseSir Ronald Waterhouse, GBE, QC was a retired High Court judge who led a three-year inquiry into the Wales child abuse scandal in the 1990s. Ronald Gough Waterhouse was born in Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, UK...
publishes the report of his inquiry into abuse in children's homes in north Wales. - 24 May - National Botanic Garden of WalesNational Botanic Garden of WalesThe National Botanic Garden of Wales is situated near Llanarthney in the Towy Valley, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The garden is both a visitor attraction and a centre for botanical research and conservation, and features the world's largest single-span glasshouse measuring long by wide.NBGW seeks...
opened near LlanarthneyLlanarthneyLlanarthney is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, located 12 kilometres to the east of Carmarthen and 10 kilometres to the south-west of Llandeilo. It has a population of 738, of whom 61% are Welsh-speaking .- Amenities :...
in the Towy Valley, CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
(official opening by the Prince of Wales: 21 July). - August - National Eisteddfod of WalesNational Eisteddfod of WalesThe National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
held at LlanelliLlanelliLlanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
. - 15 October - Dedication of the new organ at St David's CathedralSt David's CathedralSt David's Cathedral is situated in St David's in the county of Pembrokeshire, on the most westerly point of Wales.-Early history:The monastic community was founded by Saint David, Abbot of Menevia, who died in AD589...
. - 16 October - Rhodri MorganRhodri MorganHywel Rhodri Morgan is a Welsh Labour politician who, as First Secretary for Wales, and subsequently First Minister, was leader of the Welsh Assembly Government from 2000 to 2009. A former leader of Welsh Labour, he was the Assembly Member for Cardiff West from 1999 to 2011...
's official title as leader of the Welsh Assembly is changed from First Secretary to First MinisterFirst MinisterA First Minister is the leader of a government cabinet.-Canada:In Canada, "First Ministers" is a collective term that refers to all Canadian first ministers of the Crown, otherwise known as heads of government, including the Prime Minister of Canada and the provincial and territorial premiers...
. - 18 November - Catherine Zeta-JonesCatherine Zeta-JonesCatherine Zeta-Jones, CBE, is a British actress. She began her career on stage at an early age. After starring in a number of United Kingdom and United States television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as the 1998 action film The Mask of...
marries Michael DouglasMichael DouglasMichael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
at the Plaza Hotel, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. - The Cardiff BayCardiff BayCardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
Development Corporation is wound up, having achieved its main objective of regenerating the former docklands of Cardiff.
Arts and literature
- Siân PhillipsSiân PhillipsJane Elizabeth Ailwên "Siân" Phillips, CBE, is a Welsh actress.-Early life:Phillips was born in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Neath Port Talbot, Wales, the daughter of Sally , a teacher, and David Phillips, a steelworker-turned-policeman...
is awarded a CBE in the Queen's birthday honours list. - Bryn TerfelBryn TerfelBryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Leporello, but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Wagner....
's Faenol FestivalFaenol FestivalThe Faenol Festival is a music festival organised by Welsh singer Bryn Terfel and held annually on the Faenol Estate , near Y Felinheli in Gwynedd, north Wales....
is launched. - The Welsh Music Foundation is established.
- Between May and August, over 100 rare maps are stolen from the National Library of WalesNational Library of WalesThe National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
. A man later confesses to having stolen and sold them to collectors.
Awards
- Glyndŵr AwardGlyndwr AwardThe Glyndŵr Award is made for an Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in Wales. It is given by the Machynlleth Tabernacle Trust to pre-eminent figures in music, art and literature in rotation...
- Robin Huw BowenRobin Huw BowenRobin Huw Bowen is a player of the Welsh Triple Harp, known in Welsh as Telyn Deires , and is recognised internationally as the leading exponent of the instrument... - National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Llion Jones
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Dylan Iorwerth
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Eurig WynEurig WynEurig Wyn is a Welsh politician. He was a Plaid Cymru Member of the European Parliament for Wales from 1999 to 2004, when he lost his seat in part due to a reduction of the number of seats that Wales had....
, Tri Mochyn Bach - Wales Book of the YearWales Book of the YearThe Wales Book of the Year is a Welsh literary award given annually to the best Welsh and English language works in the fields of fiction and literary criticism by Welsh or Welsh interest authors...
:- English language: Sheenagh PughSheenagh PughSheenagh Pugh is a British poet, novelist and translator who writes in the English language.-Life:Sheenagh Pugh studied languages at the University of Bristol. She now lives in Shetland but lived for many years in Cardiff and taught creative writing at the University of Glamorgan until retiring in...
- Stonelight - Welsh language: Gwyneth LewisGwyneth LewisGwyneth Lewis is a Welsh poet, and was the first National Poet for Wales.-Biography:Born into a Welsh speaking family, Lewis's father started teaching her English when her mother went into hospital to give birth to her sister....
- Y Llofrudd Iaith
- English language: Sheenagh Pugh
- Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen - Geraint V. Jones, Cur y Nos
New books
- Trezza AzzopardiTrezza AzzopardiTrezza Azzopardi is a British writer.She was born in Cardiff to a Maltese father and a Welsh mother. She studied creative writing at the University of East Anglia, and currently works as a lecturer there...
- The Hiding Place - Ruth BidgoodRuth BidgoodRuth Bidgood is a British poet.She was born at Blaendulais, Seven Sisters near Neath. Her Welsh-speaking father was a priest in Port Talbot, where Ruth was brought up...
- Singing to Wolves - Jon Gower - Big Fish
- Jerry HunterJerry HunterT. Gerald Hunter, more commonly known as Jerry Hunter, is an American graduate of Cincinnati , Aberystwyth and Harvard . Originally from Cincinnati, he now lives in Wales and has held academic posts at Cardiff and more recently Bangor University, where he is currently a Reader in the School of...
- Soffestri’r Saeson - Sheenagh PughSheenagh PughSheenagh Pugh is a British poet, novelist and translator who writes in the English language.-Life:Sheenagh Pugh studied languages at the University of Bristol. She now lives in Shetland but lived for many years in Cardiff and taught creative writing at the University of Glamorgan until retiring in...
- Stonelight - Lorna SageLorna SageLorna Sage was a Welsh-born academic, as well as an award-winning literary critic and author, known widely for her contribution to the consideration of women's writing.-Biography:...
- Bad BloodBad Blood (Lorna Sage)Bad Blood is a 2000 work blending collective biography and memoir by the Welsh literary critic and novelist Lorna Sage.Set in post-war North Wales, it reflects on the dysfunctional generations of a family its problems, and their effect on Sage... - Owen SheersOwen SheersOwen Sheers is a Welsh poet, author, playwright, actor and TV presenter.-Biography:Owen Sheers was born in Suva, Fiji in 1974 and brought up in Abergavenny, South Wales...
- The Blue Book
Music
- Richard Churches - Requiem Mass
- Larry GovesLarry GovesLarry Goves is a British composer.A Phd student at the University of Southampton, his tutor is Michael Finnissy. In addition to Undergraduate and Postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, he has studied privately with Richard Barrett and Simon Holt...
- walking underground - Racing CarsRacing CarsRacing Cars are a Welsh pop band, formed in the Rhondda Valley, Wales in 1973.-Career:They were signed to one of the biggest British record labels of the time, Chrysalis Records. Racing Cars's debut album yielded their only hit single with "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"...
- A Bolt from the Blue
English-language films
- One of the Hollywood TenOne of the Hollywood TenOne of the Hollywood Ten is a Spanish and British bio-picture. The film was written and directed by Karl Francis.The drama focuses on screenwriter/director Herbert Biberman and his efforts to make, what would become the historic political film, Salt of the Earth , produced without studio backing...
, written and directed by Karl FrancisKarl FrancisKarl Francis is a Welsh film and television director, producer and screenwriter, associated with left-wing political causes. His work is inspired by the likes of Chris Marker and Ken Loach and has included output in both the English and Welsh languages.-Biography:Francis was born in Bedwas in... - The Testimony of Taliesin Jones with Jonathan PryceJonathan PryceJonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...
and Matthew RhysMatthew RhysMatthew Rhys Evans , known professionally as Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, best known as Kevin Walker on the U.S. ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters, and as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love.-Early life:... - Rancid AluminiumRancid AluminiumRancid Aluminium is a novel by James Hawes, first published in 1998. It is also the name of a 2000 film, based on the novel, that was released on 21 January 2000.-Cast:*Rhys Ifans*Joseph Fiennes*Tara FitzGerald*Sadie Frost*Steven Berkoff...
, based on the novel by James Hawes, with Rhys IfansRhys IfansRhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
, Keith Allen and Brian HibbardBrian HibbardBrian Hibbard is a Welsh actor and singer, best remembered as the lead vocalist in the original Flying Pickets.Hibbard was born in Ebbw Vale, and after various job including teacher, steel worker, barman and chimney sweep, he formed the Flying Pickets with a group of other actors who had practised...
. - 102 Dalmatians102 Dalmatians102 Dalmatians is a 2000 live-action film, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and starring Glenn Close as Cruella de Vil. It is the sequel to 101 Dalmatians, a live-action remake of the 1961 Disney animated feature of the same name. In the film, Cruella de Vil attempts to steal puppies for her...
, with Ioan GruffuddIoan GruffuddIoan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor.Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he started off in Welsh language film productions, then came to international attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in the film Titanic , and as Lt. John Beales in Black Hawk Down...
and his future wife Alice EvansAlice EvansAlice Jane Evans is an American-born English actress.-Early life:Evans, the daughter of educators and the granddaughter of a coal miner, was born in New Jersey, USA and grew up in Bristol, England. She graduated from University College London with a 2:1 in French and Italian.-Career:After...
Sport
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- Phillip PricePhillip PriceJohn Phillip Price is a Welsh professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.-Professional golfer:Price turned professional in 1989 and qualified for membership of the European Tour for the 1991 season via the 1990 Qualifying School. His best year on the tour came in 2000, when he finished...
is ranked 8th in the world. - SnookerSnookerSnooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
- Mark WilliamsMark Williams (snooker player)Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...
defeats Matthew StevensMatthew StevensMatthew Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005...
in an all-Welsh final at the World Snooker ChampionshipWorld Snooker ChampionshipThe World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
.
Births
- 8 August - Dylan Michael Douglas, son of Michael DouglasMichael DouglasMichael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
and Catherine Zeta-JonesCatherine Zeta-JonesCatherine Zeta-Jones, CBE, is a British actress. She began her career on stage at an early age. After starring in a number of United Kingdom and United States television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as the 1998 action film The Mask of...
Deaths
- 19 January - Rex WillisRex WillisRex Willis was a Welsh international rugby union scrum-half who played club rugby for Cardiff and invitational rugby for the Barbarians...
, Wales international rugby union player, 75 - 19 February - Josef HermanJosef HermanJosef Herman, also known in Wales as Joe Bach , was a highly regarded Polish-British realist painter who influenced contemporary art, particularly in the United Kingdom . His work often had subjects of workers and was inherently political...
, artist, 88 - 11 March - Will RobertsWill RobertsWill Roberts was a Modern painter from Wales.Roberts was born in Ruabon, Denbighshire, the son of a railwayman of the Great Western Railway. The family moved to Neath in Glamorgan in 1918 and he studied at the local Swansea School of Art. In 1945, Roberts met the Polish artist Josef Herman...
, painter, 92 - 7 April - Walter VickeryWalter VickeryWalter Vickery was an international rugby union back row who represented Wales and played club rugby for Aberavon...
, Wales international rugby player, 90 - 20 May - David PearceDavid Pearce (boxer)David 'Bomber' Pearce was a British heavyweight boxing champion.-Early years:He was born in Newport, Monmouthshire...
, boxer, 41 - 28 May - Donald DaviesDonald DaviesDonald Watts Davies, CBE FRS was a Welsh computer scientist who was one of the inventors of packet switching computer networking, and originator of the term.-Career history:...
, computer scientist and inventor, 75 - 30 May - Doris HareDoris HareDoris Hare MBE was a Welsh actress, best known for her appearances as "Mum" in the popular sitcom On the Buses alongside Reg Varney and Stephen Lewis....
, actress, 95 - 19 July - Philip JonesPhilip Jones (civil servant)Sir Philip Jones CB was a Welsh businessman and civil servant. After a career in the civil service, he was chairman of Total Oil Marine from 1990 to 1998 and Total Oil Holdings from 1991 to 1998...
, civil servant, 69 - 26 July - Albert FearAlbert FearAlbert Fear was a Welsh rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Newport and international rugby for Wales.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby player, 92 - 17 September - Paula YatesPaula YatesPaula Elizabeth Yates was a British television presenter and writer, best known for her work on two television programmes, The Tube and The Big Breakfast.-Early life:...
, television presenter (born in Colwyn Bay), 41 (suicide) - 25 September - R. S. ThomasR. S. ThomasRonald Stuart Thomas was a Welsh poet and Anglican clergyman, noted for his nationalism, spirituality and deep dislike of the anglicisation of Wales...
, poet, 87 - 30 September - Howard WinstoneHoward WinstoneHoward Winstone, MBE was a Welsh world champion boxer, born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. As an amateur, Winstone won the Amateur Boxing Association bantamweight title in 1958, and a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff-Boxing style:In his early...
, boxing champion, 61 - 11 November - Sir Alun Talfan DaviesAlun Talfan DaviesSir Alun Talfan Davies QC was a Welsh lawyer, writer and publisher, the brother of Aneirin Talfan Davies.He was born at Gorseinon near Swansea, brought up a Presbyterian, and educated at Gowerton grammar school. He read Law at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and at Gonville and Caius...
, judge, 87 - 2 December - Rosemarie FranklandRosemarie FranklandRosemarie Frankland was a Welsh beauty pageant contestant who won the 1961 Miss United Kingdom and Miss World titles before becoming an actress.-Biography:...
, former Miss World, 57 (drug overdose) - 22 December - Harry PayneHarry PayneHarry Thomas Payne was a Welsh international rugby union prop who played club rugby for Swansea and was capped for Wales on one occasion...
, Wales international rugby player, 93 - date unknown - Doug ReesDoug ReesDoug Rees was a Welsh professional footballer. During his career he made 356 appearances for Ipswich Town in between 1948 and 1959. He was born in Clyne.- External links :*...
, footballer