1980 in Wales

← 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1980 in Wales → 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history 1980 in The United Kingdom England Scotland Elsewhere

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1980 to Wales and the Welsh people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Charles
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Secretary of State for Wales – Nicholas Edwards
• Archbishop of Wales – Gwilym Williams, Bishop of Bangor
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Geraint

Events

• 2 January - Workers at British Steel Corporation go on strike over pay.
• May - Plaid Cymru leader Gwynfor Evans announces his intention to go on hunger strike in protest against the government's failure to honour its promise of a fourth Welsh-language television channel. The government backs down on 17 September, a few weeks before Evans's deadline.
• June - Penelope Clarke of Lanover marries François Fillon, future Prime Minister of France.
• 8 June - Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches for the last time, at Barcombe Baptist Chapel.
• 11 July - Britannia Bridge A55 road deck officially opened by The Prince of Wales.
• August - Dragon Data introduces the Dragon 32 home computer.
• John Maddox becomes editor of Nature.
• The Church in Wales votes to ordain women deacons.
• Death of last pure-bred Rhiw sheep.
• Cardiff Zoo closed.
• Welsh Highland Railway Ltd begins using the name "Rheilffordd Ucheldir Cymru".

Arts and literature

• Richard Burton makes one of his last stage appearances, in the musical Camelot.
• Michael Bogdanov becomes Associate Director of the Royal National Theatre.
• Bobi Jones is appointed to the professorial Chair in Welsh at University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
• The publisher Gwasg Carreg Gwalch is founded by Myrddin ap Dafydd at Capel Garmon.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Gorseinon)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Donald Evans
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Donald Evans
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - R. Gerallt Jones

New books

• Irma Chilton - Yr Iâr Goch
• Leopold Kohr - Cymru Fach
• D. Tecwyn Lloyd - Bore Da, Lloyd
• Alan Wilson - Arthur, King of Glamorgan and Gwent

Music

• Edward H. Dafis - Plant Y Fflam (album)

Works of art

• Andrew Vicari - La Marianne

Film

• The Mouse and the Woman, based on a novel by Dylan Thomas, written by Vincent Kane and directed by Karl Francis, co-stars Huw Ceredig, Beti Lloyd-Jones and Dafydd Hywel.
• Dragonslayer is filmed at Dolwyddelan Castle.

Broadcasting

English-language television

• Ruth Madoc stars in the hit sitcom Hi-de-Hi!

Sport

• Boxing
  • 28 February - Johnny Owen defeats Juan Francisco Rodriguez at Ebbw Vale to win the European bantamweight championship.
  • 28 June - Johnny Owen defeats John Feeny at the Empire Pool, Wembley.
  • 19 September - Johnny Owen fights Lupe Pintor in Los Angeles. Owen is knocked out and goes into a coma from which he never emerges, being pronounced dead on 4 November.
• Rugby union
  • Fifteen Welsh players are included in the squad of 38 for the 1980 British Lions tour to South Africa: Elgan Rees, Ray Gravell, David Richards, Peter Morgan, Gareth Davies, Terry Holmes, Clive Williams, Ian Stephens, Graham Price, Alan Phillips, Allan Martin, Jeff Squire, Stuart Lane, Derek Quinnell and Gareth Powell Williams.
  • 18 October - 1 November: 1980 New Zealand rugby union tour of Wales
    • 1 November: Wales 3-23 New Zealand

Births

• 20 January - Matthew Tuck, vocalist
• 28 February - Katy Wix, actress
• 23 March - Ryan Day, snooker player
• 29 March - Andy Scott-Lee, singer
• 7 April - Carl Fletcher, footballer
• 10 April – Daniel Hawksford, actor
• 12 April - Sara Head, table tennis player
• 15 April - Stephen Doughty, politician
• 29 June - Katherine Jenkins, singer
• 28 July - Noel Sullivan, pop singer
• 13 August - Bari Morgan, footballer
• 19 August - Paul Parry, footballer
• 20 August - Enzo Maccarinelli, boxer
• 3 November - Elis James, comedian
• 17 November - Gethin Jenkins, rugby player
• 16 December - Kevin Aherne-Evans, footballer
• date unknown - Catrin Finch, harpist

Deaths

• 9 February - Tom Macdonald, writer, 79
• 25 February - Caradog Prichard, author, 75
• 14 May - Hugh Griffith, actor, 67
• 4 June - Don Tarr, Wales international rugby player, 70
• 7 June - Idwal Davies, footballer, 80
• 15 September - Bill Evans, American jazz pianist of Welsh descent, 51 (drug-related)
• 4 November - Johnny Owen, boxer, 24
• 26 November - Rachel Roberts, actress, 53 (suicide)
• date unknown
  • Aneirin Talfan Davies, critic and broadcaster, 71
  • Tom Parri Jones, poet
  • Jack Warner, footballer