1961 in Wales

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Charles
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Trefin

  Events

• 16 February – The, a loaded tanker barge bound for Sharpness from Swansea, turns over in the Severn Estuary.
• 17 February – The is seen bouncing upside down through the wrecked Severn Railway Bridge. Her crew of five men are killed.
• 1 October – Tabernacle Chapel, Cardiff, hosts the first-ever broadcast of the long-running national BBC Television series Songs of Praise.
• 8 November – In a referendum on Sunday opening of public houses, the counties of Anglesey, Cardiganshire, Caernarfonshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Merionethshire, Montgomeryshire and Pembrokeshire all vote to stay "dry".
• 9 November – Rosemarie Frankland, originally from Rhosllanerchrugog, wins the Miss World title.
• 19 November – During construction of the Severn Bridge three men fall into the river. A rescue boat crewed by two men sets sail from Chepstow, not knowing that the three men have been picked up safely by a ferry, the Severn Princess. Two empty tanker barges coming down from Sharpness collide with the rescue boat, which has no navigation lights. One member of the rescue boat crew is drowned.
• The Llyn Celyn reservoir is constructed in the valley of the River Tryweryn in North Wales to provide water for Liverpool, destroying the village of Capel Celyn.
• Gwynfor Evans becomes president of the Celtic League.
• Formation in Pontypridd of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'í Faith entirely of native Welsh Bahá'í.

  Arts and literature

• Richard Booth opens the first used bookstore in Hay-on-Wye.
• Keith Baxter makes his Broadway debut as King Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons.

  Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Emrys Edwards
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – L. Haydn Lewis
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – withheld

  New books

• Dannie Abse – The Eccentric
• Pennar Davies – Yr Efrydd o Lyn Cynon
• Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Tabyrddau'r Tabongo
• W. J. Gruffydd – Ffenestri
• Richard Hughes – The Fox in the Attic
• Caradog Prichard – Un Nos Ola Leuad
• Bertrand Russell – Fact and Fiction
• Dave Waldo – Beat the Drum Slowly
• Emlyn Williams – George
• Raymond Williams – The Long Revolution

  Music

• Alun Hoddinott – Concerto for Piano, Winds and Percussion

  Film

• Ronald Lewis stars in Scream of Fear and Stop Me Before I Kill.
• Victor Spinetti makes his screen debut in The Gentle Terror.
• Clifford Evans stars in The Curse of the Werewolf.
• Pirates of Tortuga, American adventure based on the Welsh privateer, Henry Morgan

  Broadcasting

Welsh-language television

• Ambell i Gan
• Pwt o'r Papur
• Gair o Gyngor

  English-language television

• 7 April – The Independent Television Authority invites bids for its west and north Wales licence. On 6 June, the franchise is awarded to the Wales Television Association.
• 20 June – The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom, Reginald Bevins, informs the Wales Television Association that approval has been given for an ITA transmitter in the Flint-Denbigh area.

  Sport

• Boxing – Howard Winstone wins the British featherweight title.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Bryn Meredith

  Births

• 24 January – Tarki Micallef, professional footballer
• 26 March – William Hague, Secretary of State for Wales 1995–97
• 7 May – Phil Campbell, rock guitarist
• 1 July – Diana, Princess of Wales
• 5 July – Gareth Jones, television presenter
• 7 July – Steve Brace, long-distance runner
• 8 August
• *The Edge, rock guitarist
• *Simon Weston, war hero
• 18 August – Huw Edwards, newsreader
• 30 August – Delyth Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, charity worker and Labour peer
• 29 September – Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia
• 20 October – Ian Rush, footballer
• 1 November – Nicky Grist, racing driver
• 25 November – Nuccia Focile, star of Welsh National Opera
• 12 December – Philip Parkin, golfer
• date unknown
• *Ifor ap Glyn, Welsh-language poet and television presenter
• *Twm Morys, poet

  Deaths

• 18 January – :cy:William Jones |William Jones, poet, 64
• 18 April – John Evans, Labour politician, 85
• 30 April – Charles Williams, academic, 55
• 28 June – Huw Menai, poet, 74
• 3 July – Albert Jenkin, Wales international rugby player, 88
• 13 October – Augustus John, painter, 83
• 20 November – Edwin Thomas Maynard, Wales international rugby player, 83